Working life: Melissa Byrne, community dietitian, HSE South

8.30am

When I’m in the office in Clonakilty, I start with email and phone correspondence before catching up on the latest journal research on nutrition and dietetics.

I cover the West Cork area with two other dietitians and our service is very broad. As well as clinics and group programmes, we visit community hospitals and we provide training for other health professionals such as in the management of childhood obesity.

9am

On clinic days, we see adults and children of all ages with a variety of conditions: children who are obese or overweight, adults with chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, coeliac disease, food allergies and people who may be malnourished. Our focus is on helping them achieve a healthier lifestyle and weight.

11am

Back in the office, I’ve a bit of admin to do around our XPERT diabetes programme in Clonakilty, a free six-week group programme for people with type 2 diabetes.

It’s flexible and participants can decide what works best for them when it comes to changing their habits. People seem to benefit greatly from it. They can be referred to XPERT by their GP or practice nurse, or self-refer from the website www.hse.ie/xpert.

1pm

Lunch and a breath of fresh air, weather permitting.

1.30pm

I work on an audit of our weight management service for adults with obesity. We aim to help people achieve a 10% weight loss in six months through monitoring their diet, increasing exercise and achieving a healthier balance of foods. It’s difficult to achieve a healthy weight nowadays with the wide availability of processed foods and lack of exercise.

3pm

I’ve some more admin work to do — writing to GPs who have referred patients to our clinic or sending information to patients I’ve seen. I collate statistics on the number of patients seen which will be sent back in monthly reports. We have to ensure we manage our clinics effectively.

4.30pm

I go home to my boyfriend Ross. We live by the sea, so we head for a walk around the headland or on the beach. In the summer, we go for a swim. We also love trying out new recipes.

* Melissa Byrne is a community dietitian, HSE South