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43
Home Nursing Service
At 31st December, 1972, 280 patients were being nursed. During the year 31,555 visits were made; of
these 2,651 were for injections only, 202 were for injections and other treatments, and 28,702 were for all
other treatments.
During the year 13 members of staff left the service for a variety of reasons and 10 new members were
recruited. It was necessary to employ 8 SRN's from private nursing agencies to cover staff shortages.
The three group practice attachments are working well with an SRN and SEN attached to two and an
SRN attached to the third. Liaison with another group practice has started.
In April 1972 a Liaison Scheme was started with Westminster Hospital and has gradually developed. The
Nursing Officer goes weekly into the wards to discuss the hospital discharges to the community nursing
service with the hospital staff. The existing geriatric liaison with St. Mary Abbots hospital has continued,
thus enabling a better continuity of care to be given to patients in the area.
During the past year 2 SRN's and 2 SEN's qualified for National Certificates in District Nursing; 1 SEN
was from the Middlesex Hospital Integrated Nurse Training Scheme. Twenty community care students from
Westminster Hospital each spent 1 week with the district nurses as part of their six weeks' Observation of
Community Services. Twelve pupil nurses from Westminster Hospital each spent two weeks working with
the district nurses during their SEN training. Two SRN students from St. Mary's Hospital Praed Street each
spent one day observing the work of the District Nursing Service.
The nursing officer attended a first line Manager's course at Chiswick Technical College, two senior
district nurses undertook the Practical Work Instructors Course, and another attended a Refresher Course.
Two district nurses attended study days.
Miss Jones, District Nursing Sister, resident in the Royal Mews, provides nursing care for members of
the Royal Household staff. She is relieved for annual leave and days off by a part-time SRN also living in
the Mews and when necessary by the nurses from the Great Smith Street base. The cost is reimbursed to
the City Council.
AREA 4
Area Nursing Officer: Miss A.H. Kane with special responsibilities for health visitor students and as
health adviser to the Social Services Department's day nurseries.
Health Visiting Services
The staff for this area of Paddington are based at the Maternal and Child Health Clinic situated at
283A Harrow Road together with three part-time nurses at the Paddington and Kensington Chest Clinic.
When fully staffed the nursing staff at the Harrow Road Clinic is comprised of the lower middle nursing
officer, fifteen health visitors, one school nursing sister, four school/clinic nurses, four auxiliaries and four
part-time nursing assistants; these latter work in the play group sessions. Two of the health visitors are
attached to general practitioner group practices in the area, and one health visitor is a field work instructor.
Two health visitors hold child welfare clinics in St. David's Hall, and since 2nd October, 1972, in the mobile
Health Clinic situated in Lanark Road, W.9. The latter clinic was formerly held in Dibdin House, Maida
Vale, W.9. Sessions are held in the unit weekly, the health visitor being in attendance at each session, and a
doctor attending every other week for advisory and immunisation sessions, and alternate weeks holding
child development clinics in the Harrow Road Centre to which the mothers are invited to attend as the
Mobile Unit is not suitable for the necessary examinations. For the first three months attendances were
similar to those in Dibdin House compared with the figures in the October to December months in the
previous year, but since Christmas they have been dropping slightly. There are several reasons for the
decline including the fact that the birth rate for the area has been lower over the past three months, and
also as there is no room in the Mobile Unit for the toddlers to play, the mothers have been less inclined
to bring this age group and younger members of the family into the clinic as frequently as when the clinic
was held in Dibdin House.
Total clinics held weekly in the Harrow Road Health Clinic are 47, including child health, family
planning, cytology, special investigation, ante-natal, dental and chiropody sessions. There are also mothers'
clubs, and six playgroup sessions per week. The staff are also concerned with the health of 7,000 school
children in the area.