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DISTRICT NURSING
Dorothy M. Coe, S.R.N., R.F.N., S.C.M., H.V., C. & G.
Technical Teachers' Certificate, Diploma in Social Sciences
(Chief Nursing Officer)
Patient Care
The improvement in the. communications between Doctors and Nurses as a result
of the attachment of staff to General Practice, which occurred during the latter half
of last year, has shown a changed pattern of care during this year. There has been
an increase in the number of patients seen in the surgery and a subsequent adjustment
in the number of patients referred for domiciliary care.
3,759 patients were referred for domiciliary care in 1971 (3,901 in 1970). Of the
patients nursed at home there has been an increase in the number of high dependency
cases which has resulted in a 3% increase in the number of visits paid to patients.
186,441 visits made in 1971 (181,038 in 1970)
These statistics show an average of 49.5 visits to each patient, but in reality there
is a large group of patients receiving monthly injections for anaemia and are seen
twelve times during the year, while the paralysed patients and others with heart
and other allied conditions, have two visits daily resulting in a maximum of 470
visits in the year for each patient. At the end of the year 1,852 patients were still
receiving treatment.
Treatment within Surgeries
Although all the staff work to specific doctors it is only possible for 26 District
Nursing Sisters to work within surgeries serving a total of 55 doctors. The opening
of our first comprehensive Health Centre in October brought together two small
surgery sessions and the same staff are now able to provide treatments for the
patients of the four doctors instead of only two. It has only been possible to increase
the provision of surgery treatment in one other practice as expansion is dependent
upon availability of suitable accommodation.
The flow of work through the surgeries has increased from 3,955 treatments
given in 1970 to 5,792 treatments in 1971. Of this number 2,206 were injections
and 3,586 were other treatments.
Only a limited number of children are now nursed at home—130 under five years
in 1971 as opposed to 166 in 1970. However, there were 192 treatments to children
under five years given within the surgeries (this figure does not include immunisations
which the doctor might undertake ifidependently of the Nursing Sister, who is
not permitted to carry out such duties alone).
Bathing Service of the Elderly and the Infirm
There has been an increasing demand for this service and the number of patients
bathed has increased but it has not been possible to improve the service to quite a
large number of patients receiving baths once a fortnight. A total of 15,995 baths
were given by twelve bathing attendants as against 13,586 in the previous year, the
only hope of meeting the needs of this service would be an expansion in the number
of persons employed.
Geriatric Liaison Scheme
Two District Nursing Sisters are employed specifically for the scheme, one full-time
and the other part-time. Within the scheme there is emphasis upon rehabilitation
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