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Liaison with Hospitals
Health visitors provide an important link with local hospitals by attending outpatient
clinics and visiting diabetics, ante-natal and paediatric patients.
Surveys
Health visitors take part in various surveys which are reported on more fully elsewhere
in this volume. The subjects include leukaemia, measles, vaccination follow-up
and home safety investigations, and in schools, surveys of height and weight of
school children and the incidence of verrucae are now in force.
Visits to Establishments
Over 300 nurses from King's College, Lewisham and St. John's Hospitals have
visited clinics, schools and day nurseries for observation visits as required in their
syllabus of training. Social science students from colleges and the Children's Department
also visit for instruction and observation.
Lectures and talks
Have been given by nursing staff to groups in hospitals, schools and other voluntary
and statutory associations as required.
Refresher Courses
During 1966 four health visitors and three school nurses attended courses and four
school nurses attended in-service training.
Field Work Instructors
Eight health visitors have taken the field work instructors' course, which is essential
in providing the health visitor students practical training as required by the London
Training Committee.
Health Visitor Students
Four students are now receiving practical instruction in the Borough. In addition,
we are also providing practical training for "six integrated nurse training" students
from King's College Hospital and health visitor training for the Royal College of
Nursing, and National Council of the United Kingdom. Four students are sponsored
for training by the Borough, three of whom are receiving practical training in other
boroughs.
General Practitioner—Health Visitor Attachment
Four health visitors have been seconded to work in General Practitioner surgeries,
holding "well-baby" clinics and to carry out limited visiting. Lack of premises and
grouping makes it difficult to expand this service at the present time.
Auxiliary Staff
State Registered Nurses and State Enrolled Nurses are employed to assist the health
visitors in their routine work, and to relieve pressure from expanding services and
heavy case loads carried by many of the staff. Today, the pressure of work is intensified
as parents become more aware of the services available to them. Dealing
with people of different cultures and standards requires time, patience and a depth
of understanding in order to encourage them to provide a reasonable standard of
child care and homemaking for the family.
DOWNHAM HEALTH CENTRE
This is a purpose built centre owned by the Inner London Education Authority
but managed by a voluntary committee.
This Committee, of which the Hon. Secretary is Mr. E. J. Steuart Tennent, is
responsible for providing a minor ailments service not only in this Centre but in two
sub-centres at Coopers Lane and Ballamore Schools. Mr. Tennent has provided the
following statistics relating to the minor ailments service:—
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