Chloe Wieckowska
February 2021
Chloe
Wieckowska
,
RN
Hogarth Ward
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Nottingham
United Kingdom

 

 

 

Good nutritional care in hospitals is vital for the health and recovery of patients in a hospital. However, it is not always possible to obtain adequate nutrition at mealtimes (for a variety of reasons, e.g., poor appetite, tests being carried out, etc.). Therefore in between meals, snacks play an important role in helping patients meet their nutritional needs while in hospital. Some patients need smaller amounts of food and fluids more often to meet their nutritional needs. While an impatient on Hogarth Ward, I was introduced to the ‘shake and cake’ project that Chloe Wieckowska and her team were introducing on the ward. The gap between our evening meals and breakfast can be long, and the project was designed to make a range of snacks and drinks (milkshake style) available to patients during mid-evening. Chloe had agreed with the catering department on what extra snacks could be made available to patients, e.g., muffins, cakes, savory items, and milkshakes; and patients were actively encouraged to make use of the food and drink items that came around on the ‘shake and cake’ trolley. This became the highlight of the day – the trolley set was colorful, fun and encouraged patients to participate and have a snack. The staff enjoyed encouraging patients to participate, and I believe the trolley was empty by the end of its travels. It was fun and lovely to see patients engaging in a discussion about food, encouraging each other to try items on the trolley (permission on having been granted by staff, of course!), and there being the recognition by staff that good nutritional care matters. I believe this should be rolled out to other wards.