Over 150 of our Foundation Trust members and Governors attended Nutrition membership events this month, and gave feedback to help the nutrition teams further develop their services. The nutrition teams also received huge amounts of praise for the work already done to improve the quality of patients’ food.
Wendy-Ling Relph, Matron for Nutrition and Quality Improvement, said:
“A huge thanks to Kerry Smith, Acute Dietetic Manager, Vicky Pout, Dietetic Team Leader, and their teams for their involvement, organising the dietetic stands in the marketplace and leading the Dover and Canterbury events.
“A special thanks to Speech and Language Therapists Clare Hardwicke and Jane Horan, Consultant Nurse in Urgent Integrated Care Ian Setchfield, Dementia Matron and Specialist Nurse Joy Marshall and Karen Scrivener, and the Home Instead team for giving up a their time to manage the market place areas and answer questions.
Nutrition tips for patients
It is not unusual for people to lose their appetite when they are unwell, because of the illness itself, the treatment and drugs or worry. But people who are well nourished are likely to recover more quickly.
- Small frequent meals with snacks if possible in between
- Eat favourite foods
- Don't try to lose weight by 'healthy eating'
- Pick the high energy choices from the menu
- Try to have a milky drink between meals – aim for one pint full fat milk daily
- Ask for assistance with eating and drinking if necessary.
