More than 3200 meals are dished up from the PA Hospital’s kitchen every day, ensuring patients receive food that’s both delicious and nutritious to help give them a taste of normality.
The impressive feat is made possible by a team of dedicated staff, including Dietitian Jamie Feldman who knows all about the positive difference a balanced plate of food can make.
“We know that a large proportion of people in hospital are malnourished, so we want to make sure that the meals we are providing are nutritious.
“We have a goal of making every mouthful count, and making sure that people aren’t here for longer than they need to be because of their nutrition,” he said.
Jamie currently wears two hats – working as a Food Service Dietitian at PAH, as well as the CBORD Database Manager for Metro South Health.
CBORD is the food management system used to ensure a smooth catering service which at times requires a migration or update.
Recently, Jamie was involved in leading and coordinating a server upgrade across eight departments in four MSH hospitals, ensuring there was no interruption to patients receiving their meals.
“Another part of the role is entering everything into CBORD. So every recipe, every ingredient, every drink; that all has to exist within CBORD.”
But behind the data, Jamie’s commitment to helping others is clear.
He first began with the PA Hospital in 2008 while he was studying at university, before progressing into the new graduate position in 2012.
While he admits tasting the meals as part of quality assurance audits are certainly a perk, he says the real reward comes from knowing he’s making a difference to the health and wellbeing of those in the community.
“And if I think about the roles I’m in now, the impact is broader than one patient. So if we make a change at this level, it will impact the whole hospital which is amazing.”
Jamie’s professionalism, exceptional work ethic and recent achievements earned him the PA’s Staff Award for March.
His colleagues served up plenty of reasons to nominate him including his efforts in managing the Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) portfolio and state-wide changes that were introduced earlier this year.
Congratulations Jamie! You make an exceptional difference to the PA, and we hope this recognition is a sweet cherry on top.