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arranged. This is an essential part of the S.R.N. syllabus; approximately 300 hospital
nurses visit each year. 8 student health visitors sponsored by the Council are
receiving training and will join the health visitor staff in September 1969 at the end
of their one year course. Six newly trained health visitors trained in Lewisham have
now joined the staff.
In addition, students undergoing the integrated nurse training course receive
practical experience in the Borough. These students who have at least 2 subjects in
G.C.E. 'A' level are accepted for this joint training. The S.R.N. part is taken at
King's College Hospital in conjunction with Croydon College. We now have students
in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of training. At the end of the 4 years the nurse is
qualified in general nursing, midwifery and health visiting, and can choose to work
in any of these spheres.

CERVICAL CYTOLOGY
Monthly sessions continued throughout the year at the Flower House and fortnightly
sessions at Boundfield Road health centres, and extra weekly sessions were
introduced at the Amersham Road, Central Lewisham, and Kingswear centres.
In addition, stores and other work places where large numbers of female staff are
employed were approached with a view to arranging special sessions for their staff.
An encouraging response was received and a number of special sessions were arranged.
Despite the initial interest in cervical cytology the number of women coming
foward for examination at the Council's centres was disappointing. A better response
is received when general practitioners make a direct approach to their patients
suggesting examination but the general practitioners are often inhibited from making
such an approach because of the amount of clerical work involved in identifying
the women needing the test from the practice records, writing to them inviting them
to special sessions and making arrangements for the sessions.
The Health Committee considered the problem in October and authorised the
Health Department's co-operation in a suitable scheme to assist general practitioners,
either by providing a doctor, clinic nurse and clerk to undertake the whole
procedure on their behalf with the general practitioners merely signing the letters,
or by carrying out the preliminary work with the general practitioners conducting
the clinical work themselves either in their surgeries or in the Health Department
premises. Consultations with the appropriate authorities on the setting up of an
acceptable scheme were in progress at the end of the year.
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