Nightmare Preparation Of Hospital Meals

Northern Advocate, 22 August 1945, Page 4

Nightmare Preparation Of Hospital Meals

(P.A.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Addressing the New Zealand Dietetic Association’s ■ annual conference. Miss M. B. McKenzie, head dietitian for the Wellington Hospital, and president of the Association, said that, owing tc lack of domestic staff, preparation of food for patients had been almost a nightmare. Unless something was done to relieve the domestic staff situation, the future was not hopeful. Miss M. I. Lambic, Director of the Nursing Division, suggested a conference between dietitians, the nursing staff and the unions concerned, to try to reach a plan. Any conclusions on the subject from such a conference would be received by her department with much interest. With increasing industrialisation, she could not see a prospect of relief. Numerically, the direction for work in hospitals had not been satisfactory. It would be much better to have voluntary laboui'. She suggested that the scheme might include a period of training in hospitals for. say, six months, but for this it would be necessary to have the co-cperation and support of the hospital board. Miss McKenzie paid tribute to a small band of willing workers who had assisted, some of them from five to seven years, but said there must be a permanent staff, not only permanent but skilled.