"Validation and security provided by advance dietetic practitioners"

I have had an amazing experience with Charlotte, an advanced dietitian with a special interest in gastro and nutrition. I was seen by Charlotte when I was admitted to CAU in Ayr a few months ago and have never felt more listened to and cared for. She looked into my history and case individually to tailor the correct and best support to me she could. 

I learned a lot about my condition, how and why it affects me the way it does and ways I could manage it. I have been under regular dietitians for years now and never have I ever felt so safe as I was treated as a human and not just another number or patient with generic eat little and often which in my case is useless advice as I’d tried it all before. 

I have spent a considerable amount of time in the gastro ward in Ayr these last few months and feel there’s a huge gap in the nutritional care and that I am not well informed like I was when I seen Charlotte in CAU. 

Knowing there will be numerous people in a similar situation also screams to me and my family that we need to have an advanced gastro/nutrition dietitian at ward level so the top notch care can continue and we can feel as secure and supported as less complex patients who more than likely get well supported by less qualified dietitians. Most of the time the inpatient dietitians are stuck with what to do with me as they aren’t as advanced or specialised and as a result I am left wondering, and very undertrained and not well informed like I should be.

Inpatients would heavily benefit from having somebody like Charlotte on ward floors as she has the expertise to thrive with complex cases and is very skilled and knowledgeable and has a good bedside manner making patients calmer and feel safe under ones care.