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In addition to the above:
(a) 616 Uganda-Asians were seen whilst being accommodated at the
Kensington Barracks, and
(b) Health visitors attended the following sessions at G.P. surgeries:
Child Health 365
Ante-natal 33
Health Visitor Students
Nine students were sponsored for the one year course and again all were successful
in gaining the Health Visitors' Certificate. Training was variously undertaken at the
University of Surrey, Polytechnic of North London, Polytechnic of South Bank, Brighton
Polytechnic and Chiswick Polytechnic.
Within the borough, training facilities were again provided with field work
instructors for eight students for various London colleges.
Co-operation with General Practitioners
All requests from general practitioners for discussions and planning of attachment of
community nursing staff to practices were followed up. Existing attachment and liaison
schemes continued.
In some practices both health visitors and district nurses were part of the practice
team, thus providing a complete service to the patient with continuity of medical care,
health visiting advice and nursing treatment.
Health Visiting with the Elderly
The clubs for the elderly continued to expand and are now held in six of the
Council's eight health centres. These clubs are part of health education activities, with the
object of providing formal health teaching, regular supervision of personal health, individual
advice and guidance and the general benefit of companionship and the mental stimulation
that this provides.
Members of the clubs are encouraged to attend the screening clinics for elderly
persons already established at two centres and mentioned elsewhere in this Report.
Domiciliary Midwifery
A full domiciliary service continued to be provided, the midwives undertaking a
varied range of duties within the nursing services.
The number of home confinements again decreased from 43 in 1971 to 17 in 1972.
The number of early discharges from hospital 48 hours after confinement increased from
200 in 1971 to 298 in 1972. It is regrettable that of these, 163 cases were not booked with
the midwives in advance, but were only notified to the service within a few hours of
discharge. It is to be hoped that, as more midwives in hospital become aware of the
community services, this will be remedied.
The General Practitioner maternity unit, formerly at St. Mary Abbots Hospital,
opened during the year at the Princess Beatrice Hospital. Domiciliary midwives were
responsible for delivery of 29 cases in the unit.