You'll never look at cake the same way again after this Wagga Base bake-off

The Murrumbidgee Local Health District's (MLHD) wound and stoma team held a bake-off on Wednesday, June 26 at Wagga Base Hospital.

The bake-off saw nurses bring in some creatively decorated cakes. From a poo emoji to the stoma seal, and raising awareness for bowel cancer, the cakes were a fun way for the MLHD team to let the rest of the hospital know about stomas.

Running from June 24 to 30, Stoma Awareness Week is all about reducing stigma and raising awareness about the artificial opening, which acts as an exit for body waste.

Nurse Amy-Lea Post said the bake-off was fun for the MLHD wound and stoma team and was an opportunity to promote their role to everyone in the hospital.

"I think, with the patients, it helps create an awareness for them as well," she said.

"Promote within the community so they don't have to be embarrassed or hide the fact that they have a stoma.

"We've all be delving into education, running education to try and promote the carer, the family in order to to get the patient to self manage as best possible, so then they can resume their normal lifestyle as much as possible."

Ms Post said the team were passionate in trying to make all of the cakes look exactly like a stoma, but there was still some variety in the final products which were judged by the hospital's director of nursing.

"We have ones that are in different types of stoma bags, a variety of different cupcakes, and some not so appealing looking slices," she said.

This is the fun side of Ms Post and her team's work. The rest of the time they are travelling around the region checking on the MLHD's more than 400 patients with stomas.

"I think it's really important to get that early education for when they're in hospital, when it gets done and then we do outreach services," Ms Post said.

"We will go and see them in their home and make sure that they're really well supported and that they feel comfortable managing it and do a lot of education again, with the care of their loved one, just so they're really aware of how to troubleshoot if things go wrong."

Ms Post said a good part of the bake-off was trying to appeal to other nurses to specialise in stoma and wound care.

"It's actually a really rewarding area of nursing. We're very grateful," she said.

"We have a beautiful team of stoma and wound nurses, but I think that they are there to make the hard times less hard for patients and they're that friendly face that welcomes them.

"When the patients are new to a stoma ... it really helps to have a bit of fun and reduce stigma."