#TeamNorthMid blogs

I began my career as a Registered Nurse (RN) in 2010 with a BSc in Nursing in Italy. After working in my home country for three years in medical, surgical and mental health, I joined North Mid in February 2014 initially as a staff nurse in T4. In the summer of 2015, I started my journey in the Cardiology Outpatient Department where I had the pleasure to work ever since, currently as a Heart Failure Nurse Practitioner.

I have grown an interest in healthy lifestyle since the early days of my career, and I am committed to implementing positive, healthier, and more sustainable practices in both my personal and professional life.

Last October, following national shortlisting, I gained a place in the Green Healthcare Leadership Programme run by the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF). With additional funding by NHS England, it was the first time NHS nurses were attending the programme as it was just launched by FNF in 2022 for private healthcare only in partnership with Nuffield Health.

This means I am the first ever nurse at North Mid to be part of this FNF Green Leadership Programme which I am thrilled by! For me, it is a privilege and honour to have the opportunity to work towards a positive impact for our hospital and local community.

I applied for the Green Healthcare Leadership Programme to support North Mid’s plan for Net Zero by facilitating the transition to plant-based meals in hospital while raising awareness and educating patients, staff, and visitors about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

 For this reason, #TeamNorthMid will be coming up with a digital cookbook to collect plant-based recipes from all North Mid clinical and non-clinical staff, including volunteers.

The main aim of this initiative is education, promoting healthier eating habits within North Mid.  

A whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet consists of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds with no animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and diary. WFPB diet is one of the healthiest diet patterns and it is associated with the lowest risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity. Moreover, major nutrition and dietetic organisations around the world, including the US, Canada, and the UK have confirmed that a healthy plan-based diet is nutritionally adequate for all stages of human life from birth to old age.

The other focus is about sustainability.  

Plant-based diets have a lower environmental impact compared to meat heavy diets. By promoting plant-based eating in hospitals, the NHS can positively contribute to its sustainability efforts and reduce its carbon footprint. The NHS was the first healthcare organisation to declare a climate emergency. The cookbook can help showcasing the commitment of North Mid staff to achieving net zero emissions by supporting other staff, and patients, to make healthy choices for personal and planetary health.  Addressing food choices is a major part of protecting the planet, whilst at the same time improving our own health. The food system is not only a leading driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, but it is also at the heart of so many preventable chronic diseases. 

Plant-based food is inclusive and promotes health equalities. 

A plant-based cookbook can offer a range of recipes that accommodate different cultural and religious dietary needs. It also promotes and celebrates diversity as North Mid is a very diverse hospital, with different cultural and culinary backgrounds. This is also an opportunity to showcase everyone diversity and be inclusive by learning from each other recipes and different way to source, prepare and enjoy healthy and nutritious food. 

The other also very important aspect for colleagues to know about is cost-effectiveness. 

Plant-based meals can be cost-effective, especially when using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, without compromising nutritional quality. Sustainable plant-based eating could cut staff food bill up to one-third compared to an omnivore diet.  Additionally, a 100% switch to plant-based diet in England could save the NHS £6.7 billion year according to the data from the Office of Health Economics Study in 2023.

Finally, promote engagement. 

If you are wondering why I am doing this, I am motivated by the principle of being a healthcare (as opposed to “sickcare”) professional, by a passion for sustainability and the respect I have for the nursing profession, the patients and the planet we all share.  

Send across your recipe submissions!

Deadline for recipes submission is 30 June 2024. All staff at North Mid can participate. I will need the name of the dish (it could be anything from breakfast to dinner, including desserts and healthy drinks), a picture of the dish, the ingredients and the cooking method.

Colleagues are welcome to say why have they chosen a particular recipe, what it means to them, and they could also attach their portrait photo if they would like to be featured in the cookbook. 

Please feel free to email me at northmid.poweredbyplants@nhs.net to submit your recipes or for any questions you may have.