It was really good to hear everybody’s views, because it validated the need for patient centred care, which is how I approach my work. Everybody’s different and I cannot dictate that you eat a certain meal. I don’t expect you to eat the same way as I eat because my lifestyle is different from yours – I don’t believe in adding more barriers.
Has working with experts by experience influenced the way you approach your own work?
I think what it highlighted was the impact of my role on service users’ recovery. The fact that they can have all this psychological input, but a dietitian can come in and decimate all of that if the work isn’t done in a timely, compassionate way. It reinforced for me that my approach needs to be more compassionate, I need to come from a human perspective. It’s not a case of ‘why are you not trying to do this? Why are you not eating the way I’m telling you to eat?’ Instead, it’s about understanding what’s going on and why it’s difficult – and then tailoring my input to make sure it’s effective. So that perspective has really reinforced my way of practicing. It has to be collaborative, it’s based on what the client wants because it’s their journey. I’m just here as their cheerleader – I’m on the side line, reminding them that they can do it.
What does it mean to be more compassionate in your work?
My approach is more psychological, recognising that people need understanding and compassion. Hearing EbEs talk about the impact of a good dietitian helping them to repair their relationship with food has encouraged me to go ahead and provide lots of psychoeducation and examples around nutrition, but to put this in a context where we’re not just talking about ‘recovery’ – we’re talking about quality of life. So, when I'm when I'm doing my consultations, my aim isn't just about how often they're eating, or how much they're eating. It's recognizing that we're looking at your life. I think EbEs can actually reinforce to other people how important that is – ‘It's my quality of life. I'm not an eating disorder. I'm a person.’ And I think that's so powerful and necessary, because sometimes in services we get burned out. But EbEs brings back that that human touch, that human perspective as to what's necessary, and I think that's so important with eating disorders.
Overall, how would you describe your experience of coproduction and would you recommend it to your colleagues and peers?
I would definitely recommend coproduction because it brings a different perspective and helps you understand the impact of the service you’re providing, so that what you’re offering is an informed service – what’s beneficial and what’s not. I think somebody who has lived experience can give you a perspective that you will never have unless you’ve been through something similar. That experience, I think, is vital to any good service because you know that then the service is client centred. Honestly, I thought coproduction was fantastic. It gave me such a different insight into eating disorders, how people think and cope with it – but also how people think about services and their care. Otherwise, we just don’t know if our work is effective. We might be looking at numbers and data about attendance, for example, but do we know the impact of it? And not just in eating disorders, I think it needs to be trust wide – it needs to be everywhere.
