View report page

HEALTH VISITING
Section 24
The health visitor/school nurse is the all-purpose medico-social
worker who visits the family in health and sickness but her main duty
is to advise and help all persons on her district to promote and
maintain good health, to prevent mental and physical disorders and
anxieties which often precede breakdown. She plays a useful part in
after-care by visiting the home prior to a patient's return from
hospital (when this is known) to make arrangements for reception and
home-carc. Her work in advising parents on the feeding and care of
children in Infant Welfare Centres is well known, as are her duties in
the ante-natal clinics and school health service.
The health visitor as the family confidante visits all the homes on
her district and this is still the most important part of her work.
Practical training of health visitor students in home visiting, duties
in the Centres, health education, writing of reports, maintenance of
records, has been given to students from Middlesex, Battersea Polytechnic
and the Royal College of Nursing. The shortage of health
visiting staff and the increasing demand for her services is a matter
of some concern and on this account more selective visiting has taken
the place of routine visiting and other measures have been taken to
relieve the health visitor of some clerical work. Some school nursing
duties have also been delegated to school and clinic nurses.

Co-operation with General Medical Practitioners
The extent to which co-operation between general practitioners and
health visitors exists varies considerably but full co-operation can only
be achieved by goodwill on both sides. This is developing in this
Area.
A circular letter and map showing the position of local clinics was
sent to each general practitioner giving the address and telephone
number of the health visitor of the district and the time that she is
available to receive calls.
77