October 2026
What is your current role?
I am a principal dietitian in the cardiorespiratory team. I provide specialist nutritional care for children with complex breathing conditions including cystic fibrosis (CF).
Tell us about a typical day
My clinical focus is caring for babies, children and young people with breathing conditions. I see babies who have just been diagnosed, children and young people, in hospital clinics and outreach clinics. I also visit families at home to give extra support when they need it.
As well as caring for patients, my role is to improve our service as it develops. I work on projects to improve the care we give, help plan my team's schedules, and teach other healthcare staff.
What's the best thing about your job?
Meeting the babies, children and their families is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. I'm able to offer practical advice and guidance to families at a time when they need help the most.
As I meet families when their child is very young, I have the opportunity to build strong relationships with them from the very beginning. Supporting families through challenging times also helps to develop trust and understanding. As a result, families are more likely to ask questions, follow advice, and feel confident that I'm there to support both them and their child. Working together in this way can make a meaningful difference to a child's health.
What's next for your team?
I'm currently working on a cystic fibrosis improvement project. There have been advancements in treatment called 'CF modulator therapy' which can reduce the need for people with cystic fibrosis to have extra salt in their diet. The aim of the project is to review the need for additional salt and reduce it where possible to prevent other longer term health associated risks from eating excess salt.
What are you most proud of?
I've been lucky to work with the cardiorespiratory medical team to deliver dietary training to other cystic fibrosis centres across east and south Europe. This gave me the chance to share knowledge and research with other healthcare teams. I was able to raise awareness of the importance of good nutrition and diet in clinical care, alongside medicine. I was proud to be part of the team that helped these centres develop the way they support their patients.
These experiences were also personally grounding and gave me valuable insight into the challenges people face in accessing healthcare in different countries.
Thank you to the children and young people who have so brilliantly illustrated our blog pages.