CMS SOM App. PP, Tag F802

The facility must employ sufficient staff with the appropriate competencies and

skills sets to carry out the functions of the food and nutrition service, taking into

consideration resident assessments, individual plans of care and the number, acuity

and diagnoses of the facility’s resident population in accordance with the facility

assessment required at §483.71.

§483.60(a)(3) Support staff.

The facility must provide sufficient support personnel to safely and effectively carry

out the functions of the food and nutrition service.

§483.60(b) A member of the Food and Nutrition Services staff must participate on

the interdisciplinary team as required in § 483.21(b)(2)(ii).

DEFINITION §483.60(a)(3)-(b)

“Sufficient support personnel” means having enough dietary and food and nutrition

staff to safely carry out all of the functions of the food and nutrition services. This does

not include staff, such as licensed nurses, nurse aides or paid feeding assistants, involved

in assisting residents with eating.

PROCEDURES §483.60(a)(3) and (b)

• Through observations and interviews determine if there are sufficient support

personnel to safely and effectively carry out the meal preparation and other food

and nutrition services as defined by facility management.

• Observe and interview residents to determine if their needs and preferences are

met, if the food is palatable, attractive, served at the proper temperatures and at

appropriate times? If concerns are identified, determine if they may be related to

insufficient or inadequately trained personnel.

• Do observations and/or interviews indicate there are sufficient staff to prepare and

serve meals in a timely manner and to maintain food safety and temperature?

• Determine who represents food and nutrition services at interdisciplinary team

meetings.

When evaluating timeliness, factors that should be considered include but may not be

limited to:

• Meals or nutritional supplements are provided in accordance with a resident’s

medication requirements;

• Meals intended to be “hot” are served as such and are maintained at the desired

temperature when provided to the resident;

• Meals or nutritional supplements are provided to residents within 45 minutes of

either a residents request or less depending on the facility’s scheduled time for

meals.

If a concern with having sufficient staff is identified, determine if the staffing levels

provided were based on the facility assessment. If a concern with the facility assessment

is identified, see §483.71, F838, Facility Assessment.