Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
108
Department Policies and Procedures Manual
Writing a policies and procedures manual is the final phase in a long process of planning
departmental activities. A well-written manual depends on input from a number of sources:
• Managers and professionals in the department
• The department’s records
• Relevant standard-setting organizations and regulatory agencies
• Manuals written for other departments
• The food service director’s own experience
The policy and procedures manual should be written for the unique operation of the department.
Other materials may be useful as guidelines and references. All policies and procedures
in the manual must be consistent with the organization’s policies and accrediting agents.
Although each department’s manual is based on input from many sources and can be written
by different individuals, the food service director completes the final editing and approval
of each policy and procedure. Having only one editor will ensure that the writing style and format
are consistent throughout the manual. Exhibit 5.1 illustrates the basic format for a policy
and procedure statement. Exhibit 5.2 shows an example of a food service policy. Only policies
that are actually used by the department should be included in the manual.
Once policies have been established, procedures can be developed for carrying them out.
Like policies, procedures should be written for every area of the food service department’s
activities—purchasing, production, service, clinical care, sanitation, and personal hygiene,
among others.
Procedures are usually specific, step-by-step descriptions of a particular technique and
often include illustrations that enhance the description. Each procedure should be described in
a separate entry in the manual.
In addition to a written policies and procedures manual, the accrediting agents also require
the food service department to review and update the manual annually. The department director
is responsible for this process but may enlist the help of the food service staff. Policies and
procedures no longer relevant or now obsolete must be revised. Once revisions have been
approved by appropriate administrative and medical staff in accordance with the organization’s
policy, their signatures must appear on the relevant pages of the manual or on a cover
page. Such changes include, for example, price increases in the cafeteria, changes in nutrition
care policies, and changes in the services offered that would affect staffing levels and budgets.
When policies and procedures involve another department, the two departments should meet
and jointly agree on them. Copies of the joint policies and procedures should be signed by both
department heads and placed in each department’s manual. An example of a joint policy would
be between engineering and food service for the maintenance of the food service equipment.
Finally, the director must communicate changes to department employees to ensure that everyone
involved in implementing the changes knows how they are to be carried out. Copies of the
revised or deleted materials should be destroyed.
The manual is a tool for routine decision making, new employee training, and veteran
employee retraining. Regular updating of the policies and procedures manual also is important
to ensuring smooth departmental operations. Finally, the manual serves as documentation of
the standards against which employees’ performance will be evaluated.
Periodic Operational Planning
Periodic operational planning is conducted for specific purposes and within designated time
frames. Examples of this type of planning include development of the department budgets
(including operating budget, capital budget, and cash budget, for example) and the annual