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Ante Natal Clinics continue to be well attended in all three Clinics by patients booked for their
confinements at Westminster. Mothercraft classes are also held. At Marsham Street this is held at six
weekly intervals; an Expectant Parent evening is well attended. There is also a thriving Mothers Club held
weekly with a good cross section of ages from 20 — 60 year olds. Filmshows are organised, talks are given
by outside speakers, demonstrations and outings are arranged. A Keep Fit Class was started in February
at Marsham Street Clinic. This has enjoyed considerable success and has 20 — 25 people attending. Mrs.
Male from the Kensington and Chelsea Institute is "in charge" of these sessions. The Cytology Clinic at
Ebury Bridge continues to be fully booked.
Sewing classes are held at each Centre with an ILEA teacher in attendance. These are well supported
and children are minded at the creche in each clinic while their mothers are sewing.
English classes for immigrant mothers and discussion groups are held weekly at Ebury Bridge Clinic and
are popular.
Family planning clinics are held at all three Health Clinics: the one at Bessborough Street Clinic is run
for the City Council by the Family Planning Association. That at Ebury Bridge was started in April 1972,
is now fully booked and there may be a need for a further session in 1973. The Marsham Street Clinic was
started in June 1972 and is held in the evening. Doctors devote considerable time to each person and
counselling sessions have proved to be of great value. Men are also using this service. Total attendance up
to December 31st was 110.
The health visitors and one clinic nurse completed their Family Planning Training this year.
One health visitor is attached to a group practice in the area and has her baby clinic and a family
planning clinic held in the general practitioners' surgery.
Chiropody Sessions are held daily in Bessborough Street Clinic and at Marsham Street three times
weekly, and are greatly appreciated by the elderly. Three private chiropodists have discontinued their
practice in the area.
At Marsham Street Clinic the old folk attending are also encouraged to come to a coffee morning held
weekly. Here they can make new friends and a health visitor is available for advice and health education.
We are hoping this session may in the future develop into a geriatric screening clinic and further promote
the welfare of old people in the area.
Hospital Liaison — during the past year we have continued to liaise with Westminster Hospital. This
includes the health visitors giving a talk to an Ante Natal Class every fifth week and also attending the
Outpatient and Consultant Clinics at Westminster Children's Hospital.
Both Nursing Officers do a weekly ward round and are able to discuss Westminster Patients with the
hospital staff prior to their discharge home. Close contact has continued with other services in the area, in
particular with the Social Services Department and the Old People's Welfare Association, also with the
Toddlers Club, Task Force and the Pimlico Neighbourhood Centre.
School Health Service — Health visitors and school nurses have continued to go into all the schools in
the area for statutory medical examinations and comprehensive health surveys. There are 4 Nursery, 10
Primary, 3 Secondary Modern Schools and one Grammar School in the area.
One nurse is responsible for the audiology testing of all school children in this area. She also has
responsibility for Ebury Bridge Special School and this has necessitated the purchase of more specialised
equipment for testing these children.
Students — At six weekly intervals for one week throughout the year student nurses from Westminster
Hospital have participated in a Community Health Care training programme, and have been based at each
clinic to observe the work of the health visitors and all the community Health and Social Services available
in the area. Four health visitor students were trained in the area and three health visitor students did their
three months supervised practice and were subsequently, after being awarded the Health Visitor Certificate,
taken on to the permanent health visitor staff.