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25
Co-operation with General Practitioners
Schemes for closer working between general medical practitioners and community
nursing staff continued to develop. Attachment and liaison schemes now involve 11
practices with a total of 19 doctors and a total of 17 community nursing staff. Health
visitors have provided hospitality and have invited general medical practitioners to the
health centres, to learn more of the facilities and services provided.
Health Visiting with the Elderly
As the numbers of elderly people within the community increase so it becomes more
necessary to ensure that they receive help and guidance in the maintenance of good health.
Home visiting continues to increase and the clubs for the elderly organised by health visitors
at the health centres have continued to provide health teaching and a valuable opportunity
for health care and supervision.
Domiciliary Midwifery
The Council's domiciliary midwives continued to play their part within the
community nursing service and be closely involved in both health education and student
training.
The fall in the number of domiciliary confinements continued and there were 43 in
1971 as compared with 52 in 1970. The midwives have accepted 200 early discharge cases,
compared with 214 in 1970. Within the general practitioner unit at St. Mary Abbots
Hospital there have been 50 deliveries of mothers who for a variety of social reasons could
not be delivered at home.

During the year the domiciliary midwives have obtained 447 specimens of blood
from babies for the Guthrie test. These visits are made when either the baby is discharged
before the test is due at 6 days or when the first test has proved inadequate.