Failure to Maintain Sanitary Food Handling Practices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to serve food in a sanitary manner, as evidenced by staff handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands during meal service. Specifically, a Certified Nursing Assistant was observed handling a sandwich without gloves while assisting residents, and another staff member was seen touching a slice of cheese with her bare hands before placing it on a burger patty during tray line. The staff member confirmed she was instructed by management not to wear gloves during tray line. The facility's Infection Control-Dietary/Food Handling Policy, revised in March 2016, requires staff to wear single-use gloves before handling ready-to-eat food. These actions had the potential to affect all residents receiving food from the kitchen, except for two residents who had orders for nothing by mouth. The deficiency was identified during a review of the Foundations Health Solutions Foodservice Audit and direct observation, and was investigated under a specific complaint number.