View report page

responsible for providing Local Health Authority services to all
patients on the list of specified Family Doctors
(2) Liaison Schemes where the Health Visitor is responsible for a
geographical district and, at the same time, there is a formal
arrangement for a regular contact between the Health Visitor and
specified General Practitioners.
If the patients referred by General Practitioners are not within her
district she refers them to the appropriate Health Visitor covering the
area in which the family lives. Due to the extent of the area covered by
some practices, patients may be residing in other Boroughs.
Within these schemes there are at present nine Health Visitors
allocated to 28 Family Doctors, The improved communication between Family
Doctors and Local Health Authority staff has provided the family with a
team for the promotion of health.
Co-operation between Health Visitors and Hospitals
In addition to the Local Authority Health Visitor attached to the
Paediatric Department at the new Charing Cross Fulham Hospital, a further
link between hospital and community has been established by the part-time
attachment of a Health Visitor to the Radiotherapy Departments. The scheme
was initiated by Dr, Norman Howard, Consultant Radiotherapist, at the new
Charing Cross Fulham Hospital, who felt that a link between home and
hospital would be of benefit to many patients- It was thought that this
role would best be filled by a Health Visitor whose nursing background
would be useful in the assessment of the patient's general health, the
recognition of side effects of radiotherapy, and to advise the patient on
his diet and medicines, and help in the period of adjustment after treatment.
This is the first scheme to link home and hospital for patients having
radiotherapy and is proving successful in providing closet liaison between
hospital and the community,
The Health Visiting and Nursing Sections have provided training
experience for 687 student nurses, and have continued to act as lecturers
in the Schools of Nursing,
The Health Visitor continues to act as "a common point of reference
and source of standard information, a common adviser in health teaching,
and a "common factor" in family welfare", The total number of visits paid
during the year by Health Visitors was 65,311,
Home Nursing Service (National Health Service Act, 1946, Section 25; &
Health Service & Public Health Act 1968, Section 11, Subsection 2)
Section 11 of the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968, extends
the powers of Local Health Authorities to make provision in their areas
for securing the attendance of nurses on persons who require nursing elsewhere
than in their own homes.
The work of the District Nursing Sister is well known to most Family
Doctors, but attachment and liaison schemes have provided the means whereby
both benefit from regular consultation concerning the patient's progress,
Ten Family Doctors have District Nursing Sisters in full attachment,
Regular attendances are made by the Senior District Nurses at the
weekly conferences held at the Geriatric Department at the new
C. 9