London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington and Chelsea 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington & Chelsea Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
- 27-
The post-natal examination at the sixth week after delivery is usually made at
the hospital clinic.
HEALTH VISITING
Health has been defined in the Constitution of the World Health Organisation,
1946, as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity". It is within the broad scope, and particularly the spirit,
of this definition that the work for the prevention of illness, promotion and maintenance of
health is done.
The statutory notification of births to the Medical Officer of Health provides an
opportunity for health visitors to visit the homes of all families with young children. They
are skilled in recognising early deviations from normal, so providing for early assessment and
treatment, particuarly in children at risk of handicap or neglect and in families at risk of
break-up. Where a child is handicapped, the health visitor is in a favourable position to
help the parents in the early stages of the child's life and later to create an atmosphere like
that in which a normal child can learn.
The number of health visitors available at 1st April, 1965, in the borough was
below strength (24 full-time equivalent) but increased during the year (to31at 31st December,
1965). This establishment will need to be further increased to meet the demands of a highly
cosmopolitan, shifting population, many living in multi-occupied properties, the high illegitimacy
rate, and the large number of children in care of daily minders. State registered
nurses and lay assistants are engaged to support the health visitors in their work.
The following table records some of the visits made by the health visitors; the number of unsuccessful visits - about one-third - is unfortunately high:—
| First visits during 1965 to - | ||
|---|---|---|
| Children bom in 1965 | 3,439 | |
| Children born in 1960-64 | 7,370 | |
| Persons aged 65 or over | 68 | |
| Mentally disordered persons | 39 | |
| Persons discharged from hospital (other than mental hospitals) | 38 | |
| Infectious households (other than tuberculosis) | 4 | |
| Unsuccessful visits | 10,553 | |
| Total visits | 35,656 | |
HEALTH VISITOR AND SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
It has not yet been possible to assign health visitors to all schools although most
of the primary schools have health visitors on school medical work. Health visitorsare taking
part in the teaching of Health Education in four schools.
At 31st December, 1965, there were ten State Registered Nurses allocated to
school medical work.
HEALTH VISITOR AND TUBERCULOSIS VISITING
The reduction in the incidence of tuberculosis made possible the home visiting
of tuberculous families by the district health visitors, in place of two whole time tuberculosis
visitors.
In consultation with the Chest Physicians, arrangements were made for the necessary
re-organisation of this work so that it would operate at the beginning of January, 1966.