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It is during home visiting that the needs of families and individuals are detected early and necessary
support and advice can be given, or referral to the appropriate specialist agency can be effected. The
present-day training of the Health Visitor prepares her fully for this role of family visitor.
Health Education advice is given in the homes, but also to groups at child health centres and in
schools. Frequently these sessions take the form of discussion groups so that participants can pool their
knowledge and learn from each other.
During the year Health Visitors participated in the investigation of the Foundation for the Study of
Infant Deaths, the Health Visitor giving support and comfort to the bereaved families.
STUDENT TRAINING
Nine health visitor students were sponsored for training by the Borough and all were successful in
their examinations. Five health visitor students from other boroughs were given practical training in
Islington.
FIRE
The follow-up by health visitors of fires in domestic premises continued, involving a great deal of
home visiting of the families concerned to give advice and health education.
Fires notified 44
Fatalities 5 (11.4%)
Fires involving fatalities 4
Children involved 1
Injuries 9 (20.5%)
Fires involving injuries 5
Fires involving oil heaters 11 (25%)
DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY
There has been a further decline in the numbers of domiciliary confinements, mainly due to the
continuing fall in the birth rate, but there has also been a tendency for domiciliary births to decrease very
slightly in proportion to the totals of all births.
In addition to 95 home confinements attended by domiciliary midwives, there were 40 other
patients booked for domiciliary confinements; of these 6 moved out of the area, 15 bookings were cancelled,
and 19 were subsequently transferred for delivery to the hospital service for the following reasons:-
Complications of pregnancy - 14
Complications at term - 3
Premature labour - 2
There were three calls for the services of the Emergency Obstetric Unit.
The scheme for planned early discharge from hospital resulted in 351 assessments of home conditions;
119 were found to be unsuitable. A total of 448 patients, including unplanned early discharges, were
nursed at home following early discharge after hospital delivery; 8 of these had originally been booked for
home confinement but were delivered in hospital.
The General Practitioner Obstetrician Unit at the City of London Maternity Hospital commenced to
operate with 10 patients booked for delivery, of whom 9 were subsequently delivered during the year, 2
in the unit, 5 others at home, and 2 transferred to the hospital service.
Domiciliary midwives were not involved with any maternal deaths or stillbirths.
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