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91. The Work of the Health Visitors. The Local Government
Board, in a Circular dated August, 1918, has set out the
following as the duties of a Health Visitor:—The visiting and
supervision of all children under school age needing this attention
; the visiting of expectant mothers who have attended at an
Ante.natal Clinic or for whom visits are desirable; inquiry into
still births, and the deaths of young children, and attendance at
the Centre to which women and children come for medical and
hygienic advice.
Attendance at the increased number of sessions, which have
been found necessary at the Centres owing to the large increase
in the number of children attending there, has of necessity curtailed
the time at the disposal of the Health Visitors for home
visiting, and the number of Health Visitors (five) is below the
standard set out by the Ministry in the Circular referred to above.
On that standard the number should be seven.
The actual number of infants visited was 1,562 out of 2,737
births. The practice adopted is to send by post, as soon as a
notification of a birth is received, suitable literature, and the
Health Visitor calls as soon as possible after the baby is ten
days old. Visits are not paid earlier unless on request by the
midwife or doctor concerned.
During the year, the Health Visitors have been in nearly every
case well received, their advice has been carefully listened to, but
of course, it has not always been acted on. Any sanitary defects
discovered by the Health Visitors in the course of their visits
have been referred to the Sanitary Inspectors for remedial action.
The following Table, No. 36, shows a classification of the visits
paid by the Health Visitors during the years 1919 and 1918:—