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115
service to the patient because from the outset they have more
knowledge of the patient's background and previous medical
history and they have direct access to the General Practitioner for
consultation and exchange of ideas.
Out of 2,385 new cases, 1,091 (46%) came from the 22 General
Practitioners involved in the attachment scheme and 1,250 treatments
were given to patients in the surgery by the District Nurse.
The number of areas was increased to 43 during 1968 and, of
these, the average case-load per District Nurse was 40 for the
eight District Nurses in group practices and 26 for the remaining
35 areas. Average monthly visits remain at 350-380 per District
Nurse, which is high.
Recruitment, though improving at the end of 1967, remained
slow and, on two occasions, nurses from a private nursing agency
were employed for several months.
The District Nursing Service has never reached the establishment
of 65 full-time staff and, with the increase of new cases and
visits, the Service was maintained with the greatest difficulty. It
was only the loyalty and hard-working capacity of the staff which
made this possible. The average number of staff working throughout
the year, excluding holidays and sickness, was 48 full-time.
Sources from which New Cases were Referred
General Practitioners 2,585
Hospitals 908
Clinics (Chest, Ante Natal and Diabetic) 38
Geriatric Visitors 106
District Nursing Service 333
3,970
Classification of New Cases No. Cases %
Medical 3,237 81.5
Surgical 551 13.9
Maternal Complications 128 3.3
Early Maternity Discharges 13 0.3
Tuberculosis 29 0.7
Mental Ill-health 12 0.3
Total 3,970 100.0