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They regularly participated by giving health teaching courses at the City Day College,
while others attended local secondary schools to give health talks. A nursing officer
and a health visitor lectured regularly to hospital student nurses on The Social
Aspects of Disease. Arrangements were made for the hospital nurses to see many of the
services provided by the Borough, and several accompanied the health visitors on
home visits.
In addition to their health education work the health visitors gave much time
and attention to those within the community with social problems. They either themselves
gave the necessary help to these families or put them in touch with the
appropriate statutory and voluntary agencies. The health visitor's training was
lengthened from 9 months to one year, to include more emphasis on social work
techniques than hitherto.
In order to relieve the skilled health visitor of unnecessary routine work
ancillary help was provided mainly in clinics, as recommended by the Ministry of Health
in circular 12/65. The Council authorised the appointment of the equivalent of four
whole time auxiliaries.
Health visitors continued to be concerned about cases of illegal child minding
brought to their notice, and closely followed up many cases. It was the exception
rather than the rule to find adequate safety precautions in these cases, and in spite
of repeated advice it was alarming to find women who were prepared to take a chance of
children in their care being burned rather than provide adequate fireguards.
Following information received from the Fire Officers of the Borough, fire
accidents and tragedies affecting children were investigated by the health visitors,
to ascertain hazards to children and to avoid recurrence of accidents or tragedies in
the future, through repeated visiting, advice and health education. Sixteen such
cases were dealt with in 1966.
Good liaison was maintained with general practitioners and two more health
visitors were attached to general practice, making a total of five participating in
the schemes. Two health visitors continued to work full time with doctors and three
visited the surgeries to assist at infant welfare clinics, and on a fixed day each
week for joint consultation with the doctors.
Details of cases visited by health visitors in 1966:-
Children born between 1961 and 1966 21,853
Persons aged over 65 323
Mentally disordered persons 204
Persons (excluding maternity cases) discharged from
hospitals (other than mental hospitals) 247
Tuberculous households visited 15
Households visited on account of other infectious
illnesses 154
Total effective visits 59,236
" ineffective " 13,855
Home Nursing Service
While the demand for the Home Nursing Service has followed the normal trend, two
projects with a view to a better service were started during the year. The first
project involved an attachment of one nurse to a practice of four doctors and a
liaison of another with a partnership of two doctors. These pilot schemes proved
most successful. A better understanding has developed between the doctors and the
nurses concerned resulting in better co-operation. A greater variety of work has been
referred, making the nurse's job more satisfying and using her skill to a greater
advantage.
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