View report page

102
Co-operation with Hospital Departments—This relationship
increased during the year under review. As in the case of the
School Health Service, shortage of Medical Social Workers in
hospitals led to more requests from Consultants for help with
the social problems met with or suspected in their patients.
When requested, visits to in-patients took place in order
to prepare for environmental adjustments, where possible, before
their discharge from hospital.
Health Visitors attended the Diabetic Clinic at Greenwich
District Hospital, the Paediatric Clinic at the Memorial and Miller
Hospitals and one Ante-natal Clinic at St. Alfege's Hospital.
These visits serve to increase liaison between the Hospital Services
and those of the Local Authority.
Problem Family Index—Problem families are those families
which, for various reasons, are unable to cope with the difficulties
and stresses of life and who need a great deal of support and
some material help. Often they are large families and, usually,
the mother has a number of children under five years of aee to
manage. Lack of money and the need to clothe and feed the
family and provide furniture, etc., encourage the parents to
undertake hire purchase commitments bevond their means so
that debts tend to accumulate. Health Visitors make freauent
visits to these families in the course of which they give help
and advice and, if necessary, material assistance. They also
call in other specialist help when this is needed and co-operate
with other social workers to provide the best available means
to rehabilitate these families.
There were 143 families on the index at the end of the year
with a total of 590 children. This index, which is checked completely
each year, is under constant review.
Surveys—A considerable amount of time and effort was demanded
of health visitors in "follow-up" visits to children and young
persons not only in connection with the National Survey of Health
Development of those born in 1948 but also to those children
and "controls" who were subjects of the Medical Research
Council's scheme with regard to measles vaccination.
In addition, a survey into child deaths from cancer being
undertaken by the Department of Social Medicine at Oxford
University, necessitated careful and delicate preparation of parents
by some health visitors for the subsequent visiting of a Medical
Officer to obtain comprehensive histories of the various cases.