The perspective of a nutrition nurse specialist

摘要

Why did you choose your career pathway?I started my nurse training in 1982 in a large London teaching hospital. I left shortly after qualifying and took a career break of a year after my eldest child was born. I returned a year later and did part-time nights at my local hospital. When I eventually went back to day duty after my youngest started school in 1995,I was absolutely appalled at the lack of organisation and care evident at patient mealtimes. In the 1980s, the patient mealtime was very much the responsibility of the ward staff, with the ward sister taking charge. She would actually be involved in serving the food and patients would be encouraged to come to the day room to eat at a table. Ten years later, this involvement had disappeared. Nursing staff were dashing around doing one of a number of jobs, none of which involved patient mealtimes, and only one health-care assistant would be actually helping patients to eat.