Quality Assurance Manual for Long-Term Care Facilities - Assignment Example

Quality Assurance Manual for Long Term Care Facilities of affiliation Introduction The purpose of this paper is to preparea Quality Assurance Manual for a Dietary Department in a Long Term Care Facility. The focus will be on menu planning, nutritional care, and safe food. This quality assurance manual for is guided mission and vision and regulations that makes it a part of routine operations. Vision Statement: establish an environment with decent, secure and nourishing food to all Canadian citizens living in institutions of long term care. Mission Statement: Preserve and guard the health of long term care patients through the assurance of safe and nutritious food availability through awareness creation amongst caregivers and long term care patients. Nutritional status promotion for all long term care patients through the establishment of food founded on patients’ nutritional approaches. Nutrition Care policy and procedure Long term care institutions have the responsibility of providing nutrition care and support for all persons in care that is implemented through strategic and coordinated approach from their time of admission to transfer of care (Davison & Dominik, 2009). This means that a nutrition care plan should be completed as soon as the patient is admitted; be continuously monitored to ensure proper implementation within 14 days of admission; review its alignment in relation to institution-wide care plan; and review the plan based on changes in the needs of the person in care. In order to achieve the best practices in nutrition care plan, reviews should include the quality of the following mandated activities: i. Assessment of the nutrition concerns ii. Setting goals in response to the identified nutrition concerns iii. Outline all actions to be implemented to meet a given goals iv. Continuing evaluation and review of the care plan Nutrition care audit Audit is done with 10% of the charts in the facility’s medical department. Using each person’s nutrition plan, review the developed plan within 2 weeks after entrance; nutrition care revised based on the person’s requirements; nutrition care monitoring to guarantee implementation; and the endorsement of the nutrition care plan by a registered dietician amongst others (Davison & Dominik, 2009). Additionally, audit should review weight monitoring of each selected person. With the nutrition plan and weight data of a selected person, the score is provided and determined whether or not the least acceptable audit score is met. Records are kept for any identified problem and its possible causes, the remedial measures to take, and the re-audit date. Menu planning policy and procedure The policy for menu planning is to ensure that all menus are designed to offer appetizing, meals and beverages that are nutritionally reasonable and cost effective meals for the persons in care. In order to comply with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care legislation, menu planning should be accomplished using the best possible practices and principle(Canada, 2014). The best practices include a registered dietician approving all menus; a consultation process is used to develop and improve menus; a menu cycle is used to ensure that there is monthly reviewing for variety; all menus bring enjoyment and enhance life through liberalization; use of tools and processes to determine nutritional content in food; and specification of portion sizes in each menu cycle amongst others (HACCP, 2007). Furthermore, the choices of menu food variations should consider therapeutic and texture-modification aspects daily and that each these are documented and are available for staff, decision makers and those in care. Menu planning audit For each menu planning task, a menu audit is needed. The menu audit defines the purpose of audit; the satisfactory audit score; audit frequency; and the responsible staff (Davison & Dominik, 2009). According to the Ministry of health and long term care, a registered Dietician has the mandate of menu planning in long term care homes. Audits confirm the foods and drinks preferences are within legitimate processes and the policies of the long term care facility. Audit involves reviewing the menu for each day to determine whether or not the menu is selective. Additionally the menu audit determines the representation of food group and servings number. The review of the menu is followed by audit score, determination of whether or not the least allowed audit score has been met. Furthermore, any identified problems are documented coupled with the corrective actions to be taken and the re-audit date (Davison & Dominik, 2009). Safe Food/Food production Policy and procedure Safe and nutritious food is the foundation for healthy lives, societies, communities, eco-systems and economies and there is need to keep close attention to the changing and evolving varieties of food products and changing needs of individuals in care facilities (HACCP, 2007). In order to achieve safe and nutritious food policy, food should be consumed the closest possible to when it is supplied to the long term care facility (HACCP, 2007). This is because as food remains in storage, it faces challenges of infection by emerging new food-borne pathogens and the fact that known pathogens become more resistant or virulent thereby result to outbreaks. For all incoming food products, inspection for frozen or cold temperature, and food expiry and best before dates should be recorded (HACCP, 2007). For packed foods inspection should be done to verify any broken cases or boxes and for bulging signs, rusting cans or infestation by pests. Consequently, all food should be purchased only from the safest sources possible or only from standard sources with scrutiny marking. Staff members and equipments in food preparation should be cleaned and sanitized to avoid cross-contamination (Canada, 2014). Safe food/food production audit According to Health Canada (2014), safe food audit is necessary for the provision of information on safe food policy implementation, findings, conclusions and recommendations. The Public Health Agency of Canada has the responsibility of conducting surveillance on food-transmitted illnesses and investigating outbreaks. Audit involves evaluating food handling techniques which include staff criteria, receiving area criterion, food planning area, refrigeration and freezer storage, and the cleaning measures observed. Audit of food also involves inspecting inventory forms to confirm that food utilization meets the obligatory best before dates and that storeroom comprises the right temperature and time for lasting storage (Canada, 2014). References Canada, H. (2014). Food and Nutrition. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/eval/pol/index-eng.php Davison, K., & Dominik, B. (2009). A Nutrition and Food Service Audit Manual: Adult Residential Care Facilities with 25 or more persons in care. British Columbia: Audits and More. HACCP, H. A. (2007). HACCP Food Safety Quality Assurance Manual. Orangeville: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Read More