Government Policy: Protected Meal Time, Advance the Meal Services at the Hospital - Essay Example

? Protected Meal Time Introduction The protected meal time is a government policy that was introduced in 2004 with the aim of providing a mechanism, which makes sure that every patient is able to enjoy his or her meal without any likely disruption as much as possible. This initiative seeks to create an enabling environment that is relaxed and quiet so that the patients are able to enjoy their meals. Primarily, the focus of the initiative is to advance the meal services at the Hospital, which for a long period, have been done in a non-professional manner, not satisfactory to the patients. Since the professionals are to be included in the initiative, for example, the doctors, nurses, physicians, and the cooks are the two major professionals whose contribution to the initiative is very important and would facilitate the implementation. Application of Gibbs’ Model and PDCA Cycle In this analysis, the Gibbs reflective model has been use to describe the problem, the feel about the problem, an evaluation of the experience, analyzing the situation whether it makes sense, concise conclusion, finally taking the most appropriate action. It is important that in reflecting about the practice, one is expected to relate the situation at hand to the future of the career and its value. In fact, this becomes an evidence based approach that might to yield the intended results. In addition to the Gibbs model, the initiative would employ the use of the PDCA cycle in terms of service improvement, where the plan-do-check-action is adhered to, throughout the implementation. As would be depicted in the subsequent chapters, the project would be planned, done according to the required procedures, checked consistently and appropriate actions taken to make sure that the implementation becomes successful. Description of the Problem The focus of this reflection is about the improvement initiative of protected meal times, a service that has not been provided effectively in the Hospital. The initiative seeks to set a side a specific time to serve the patients with food. The implication of the initiative is that the doctors would stop their ward rounds as the domestic are given time to serve meals to the patients. Some patients are given the physical support since they cannot support themselves, which makes feeding difficult. The intention of the protected meal time program is to give the patient adequate time to relax as they have their meals (Council of Europe Resolution, 2003, p.8). In this approach, the major event that makes me support the launch of this noble initiative is that it helps to solve the great problem that is witnessed among some doctors. There is a group of doctors who do not carry out their routine ward checks in time. Therefore, they end up carrying out the same duty during inappropriate times, which are meant for meals. This happens because the doctors start their routine late, and lunch time find them still moving around the wards. They do not stop to provide the patients with sufficient time to enjoy their meals. Moreover, what used to happen in the hospitals were shocking since these doctors are fond of continuing with their work even without considerations that the patients have the right to eat, that is, they need ample time to enjoy their meals. The meal time has to be specific to minimize confusion and some patients going without food. The food must be properly chewed since the sick people have weak digestive system. The impact of the doctors’ actions is not alien, that is, the food would automatically get cold and since they are not allowed to reheat the food at the end of the exercise, it becomes extremely difficult for the patients to enjoy the meals and this is not a good thing since it poses a serious threat of the patient’s starvation. Therefore, it is necessary to have an action plan that is geared towards establishing the protected meals time. In fact, the protected meals time program has also been supported by various health professionals across the globe (NHS Estates in partnership with Royal College of Nursing, 2004, p.12). Feelings Considering the feelings and thought about the protected meal time action in our hospital, there is need to provide a holistic and legal framework that requires only certain individuals to be present in the wards during this time. The presence of only authorized personnel is very crucial at this stage since they do not only help the sick, but also make sure that they eat the right meals in terms of diet and quantity and this has greatly benefited the patients. Besides, the quality of the meals served, should not react with the patients’ medication thus it can be felt that the patients here are now enjoying their stay. In the hospital one of the most important issues that come with this policy is that it requires the manner in which the meals are served in the hospitals to be carefully investigated so that appropriate remedial actions are taken to help in nursing the sick. Often, the patients lack appetite when they are admitted to various hospitals. Therefore, it becomes very important to make sure that even those people with the poorest appetite are able to enjoy the meals through administering multi-vitamins. Evaluation In evaluating the outcome of the proposed actions, it was evidenced that the practice would make sure that every patient can now eat well, at the right time, thereby getting stronger. Despite the bad practices of interfering with the patients’ meal time, which has characterized the past, the protected meal program has given some hope to the sick due to its organization in terms of the schedules, which the patients, doctors and other concerned people have to adhere to. Indeed, when the government introduced this crucial policy to ensure the patients in the hospitals benefit from the meals provided. This is because at the same, the patients would get the best nutrients. Often, the measure that has been used to know the impact the protected meals time in this hospital is the amount of food that the patients eat. The hospital has of late seen a lot of food being eaten, not by the visitors or staff members, but by the sick in the hospital is a clear example of success of the policy. The presence of the domestic during the meal times also seek to provide the assistance to the sick given meals in jugs, red trays or beakers. Therefore, it means that the patients require extra help and support to extract the meals from the vessels and this vital requirement that the nurses, doctors, physio, and all the multi-disciplinary team be in the wards at the meals time is very important. The introduced protected meals policy has also helped to solve the problem of patients missing their meals severally. This has been happening because of may be a patient is having medical procedure outside the ward and was not present at the time of the meals time. At times, the patient is too sick to eat at the stipulated meals time. This policy has introduced an advance arrangement to be made so that the patient can be fed at the most appropriate time when he/she is able to eat. The policy requires that the relevant authority, whether the domestic arranges a snack box/ hot meal for the patient. Significantly, the protected meal initiative recognizes the essence that the relatives, friends and family members give moral, social, psychological support and a sense of hope to the sick. As a result of this, the patient’s relatives and friends are allowed in the wards to offer encouragement and participate in feeding the sick. However, strict rules have also been spelt out regarding the protected meals time policy that seeks to avoid any interruption during this important time. The policy guidelines spell out the conduct on how people out to handle themselves inside the wards. For example, disturbing noise from phone calls is not permitted in the wards so as to give the patients a peaceful meal time. The inception of the protected meal initiative came up as a nationwide scheme that was incorporated in the hospitals food programs with an intention to make it better. It was NHS Estates that was responsible of commissioning a video of the protected meals program that Lord Warner later launched in 2004 (Department of Health, 2000, p.12). And, a copy was sent to the directors of nursing in the primary and acute trust cares. Later, the same year, around March, the hospitals caterers’ association took up the national protected meals time day to try selling this idea to other people across the United Kingdom. Justification of the Initiative The protected meal time in this hospital has played a great role since it was introduced has tried to reduce and at times curb the continuous problem of food wastage. That is, before it was introduced, the hospital catering managers admitted that a lot of food was going into waste because there was no strict policy on how to feed the patients. Therefore, a lot of meals were not consumed by the patients since the doctors took much time treating the sick, and the food went cold in the process, before the consumption, thus becoming unsuitable to the patients. Notably, the harmony that was brought about among the nurses’ ideology, medical and allied health workers, also justified the initiative. The conflict brought about by attitude, that is, the nurses’ belief on the significance on how meal times and nutrition are compared to other demands. The doctors and other allied health workers have some divergent views, that is, the great importance of their treatment and roles compared to meals and nutrition. Such a professional conflict is now taken care of with the introduction of the protected meals time (Department of Health, 2004, p.17). Considering its implications of the justification, the protected meals time has created a lucrative atmosphere in the ward, which is essential to the patients’ well-being. For example, the policy requires that the bedding should be cleaned, even before the meal time, and the cleaners dispose any disgusting materials out of the patients’ sight so that they can eat with stimulated appetite the clean environment is good for eating. Moreover, the policy might bring a different structure on how these principles are to be applied. Therefore, the nurses, doctors, physio, and all the multi-disciplinary team involved in the implementation are able to acquire the relevant ideas that are needed to make the initiative a success. For example, the policy requires that during every protected meal time, there are notices and posters, which make the visitors, patients and other members of the clinical staffs aware of the importance and understand the need for proper meals in the exercise of caring and treating patients. This would help in avoiding cases like a cleaner moving into the ward and begin dusting and even mopping the floor when the patients are taking their meals (Department of Health, 2003, p.9). Potential Barriers The initiative is relatively new and might face some level of resistance from the parties involved. The major barrier to the implementation of the initiative is possible financial limitations, which would make it difficult for the health facility to achieve meaningful success (Department of Health, 2003, p.14). The other barrier would be the probable lack of coordination from the different groups of professionals involved during implementation (Department of Health, 2003, p.14). Notably, such rivalry among the implementers might disrupt the workability of the whole project. Learning Outcome The unique role of the nurses in the success of the initiative would be to make sure that the schedule for the meals favors all the patients, literally to avoid some patients going without food. In addition, the nurses would foster the relationship between the patients and the other professionals in the medical facility. This implies that the nurses require additional skills and/or knowledge to work with the patients. The chief medical officer and entire staff have to operate in harmony to provide a holistic care and adequate meals to the patients. In this regards, the report on matters of public health also supported the program since it does not only discuss the initiative on how to make the hospitals’ food programs better, but also to identify the protected meals time project’s success. The time for having meals should be protected so that the patients who require assistance can be attended to, in time. Notably, the different professionals included in the programs displayed integrity and dedication to the success of the care delivery. The management has overcome the challenges to make sure that the meal times are scheduled to meet the interest of the employees. The learning and knowledge so far acquired, in managing meal times would be used in playing the key role of making similar initiatives in my medical career to satisfy the patients. Indeed, the knowledge would help me initiate related projects in subsequent employment places, aimed to achieve a holistic and reliable meal time schedules in many health facilities, thus assist the patients in the process of recovery. Future Plans Concerning the future plans of the initiative, the patients’ interests would be given priority in making the necessary improvement of the service delivery. Some of the improvements involve, prioritizing how the meals are served to the different categories of patient. For example, the patents able to feed themselves would be given first priority, and after being served, the ones being spoon-fed follow immediately. This would make it easy for the health staff to resume normal operations within a short time after the meals. Conclusion and Action Plan In essence, it can be learnt of the most crucial and significance initiative in the nursing and medical profession, that is, the protected meals time. This has enabled the understanding of the relationship between the good eating habits and the patient’s recovery. In addition, it draws the boundary between the importance of medical treatment and nutrition. Therefore, none of them is less important than the other and both must come hand in hand for the patient’s benefit. The success achieved through the protected meals time initiative cannot be underestimated and that it is very crucial as part of the patient’s care. Indeed, all the medical professionals who are involved in taking care of the patients should provide ample time for the meals. This would require proper planning on the side of the doctors so that they do not do their work in a hurry at the last minute, as this helps in proper time management and quality health care service delivery. Indeed, these appropriate steps of action can be best achieved through the use of Gibbs reflective model that deals with the problem identification, description, feeling, analysis, conclusion, and take the necessary action. Some of the relevant actions taken include, but not limited to the timely meal delivery, stopping the doctors’ ward rounds during meals, re-heating and preserving meals for the sick, and limiting the number of visitors in the wards during meal times. Therefore, the nurses, doctors, physio, domestic, and all the disciplinary team should be timely in executing their work to stop barging in the wards during meal time, and this can only be achieved through the protected meal time program. References Department of Health, 2000. NHS Plan. Available at eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/.../2/Interprofessional_Learning_in_practice.pdf [Accessed 23 Dec. 2011] Department of Health, 2003. Essence of Care - Patient focused Benchmarks. Available at www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/.../Tool6.9-EssenceOfCare.pdf [Accessed 24 Dec. 2011]. Council of Europe Resolution, 2003. Food and Nutritional Care in Hospitals. Available at www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/coe_leaflet.pdf [Accessed 22 Dec. 2011]. Department of Health, 2004. Standards for Better Health. Available at www.northeastessexpct.nhs.uk/BeInvolvedInYourHealthcare/standar [Accessed 23 Dec. 2011]. NHS Estates in partnership with Royal College of Nursing, 2004. Protected Mealtimes Initiative (PMI). Available at www.southstaffordshirepct.nhs.uk/.../Clin06_ProtectedMealTimesPoli.[Accessed 23 Dec. 2011]. Read More