Unclean Dishware Used for Pureed Meal Service
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when staff failed to ensure dishware was clean prior to serving a pureed meal to a resident. The resident, who had diagnoses including dysphagia, epilepsy, mood disorder, and hemiplegia and hemiparesis following cerebrovascular disease, was on a physician-ordered regular diet with pureed texture and regular thin consistency. During meal service, a staff member obtained a divided plate that still had food particles from a previous meal, rinsed it with water at the sink, and then placed pureed pasta onto the plate before serving it to the resident. The staff member confirmed during interview that the plate was not clean and had food on it from a previous meal, and that she only rinsed it with water before use. Facility policy required food and nutrition services employees to prepare and serve food in compliance with safe food handling practices, and specified that dishwashing areas should be separate from the food service line to maintain a sanitary environment.