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A difficult feature is the amount of movement of families from one address to the other, maybe
within the same house or street, apart from the movement in and out of the City boundary. Thus
it is almost impossible at times to ensure an adequate follow up on some of the families who may
require special care or who are at risk socially or on medical grounds.
Fortunately the health visitor is well placed to find families, as she is responsible for the work in a
geographical area in which she is constantly visiting and where she is seen frequently by members
of the community, gaining knowledge of their problems and making useful social contact with them.
She is, therefore, often able to give advice on the spot and to make available her skills and knowledge
immediately. However, in spite of this vigilance, families with many problems slip through with
unresolved worries.
Many families need special and constant support but they fail to use the services offered intelligently
and lack the initiative to run their homes and to provide a happy and secure atmosphere for the
development of the children. The health visitor endeavours to encourage and guide them, hoping
to be thought of as a friend and adviser. This is accomplished in many instances and quite often
she is the only worker families accept.
Where intensive help is thought desirable and where this is acceptable to the family as a unit,
the nursing staff are pleased to ask for the help required from other social workers. Therefore, they
keep in contact with social workers from all other departments and all other services wherever it is
possible and build up close personal relations with them. Much of the work is carried out witnout
referral. The health visitors are often able to tide the family over by supporting and offering such
material help as is obtainable for them. Social problems continue to be one of the main concerns
of the health visitor and frequent consultation with senior nursing staff is required.
Child Minding
Health visitors supervise women who wish to act as voluntary child minders, e.g. mothers who
wish to mind not more than 2 children in their own homes.
The health visitors also recommend the admission of normal children to the day nurseries, as
they are very much aware of the needs of the children in their area. Application for admission
is made through the health visitor and each application is considered from the social report of the
worker concerned. Arising from their home visiting activities the nursing staff are often the first
workers to become aware of illegal child minding. They report the facts to the medical officer for
any action required, having informed the child minder that this is being done.
The preventive role played by the health visitor must also be mentioned: advising the normal happy
family on diet, child management, and any aspect of child care discussed during her visit, and so
preventing stress and anxiety on the part of the mother. It also enables the health visitor to recognise
deviation from normal, and she quickly detects a need for further help.
Health visitors take part in intermediate case conferences of the Co-ordinating Committee,
contributing to the discussion where their knowledge and realistic assessment of the family
situation is very much appreciated. They also frequently recommend that families should be
discussed, so that all workers concerned may pool resources and information.
Welfare Centres
The local centres from which the health visitors work become a focal point where members of the
community come for information and help. Health visitors are available for some part of each day,
to those who wish to see them, as well as attending clinic sessions. Infant welfare, and ante-natal
clinics continue with the usual attendance of those seeking advice. Immunisation programmes
are carried out and advisory sessions are held in co-operation with medical officers.
Nursing staff take part in the Cytology Clinics, held at some of the Centres.
Playgroups are offered also, for mothers attending clinic, or wishing to use the facility for any
other reason.
Health Education
The health education programme is an important part of the health visitor's function and an active
interest in this work is shown.
Sewing classes and educational classes for ante-natal mothers are held at regular intervals.
Films are shown and many clinics organise discussion groups. This useful form of teaching is
additional to the usual displays of visual aids of all sorts. Regular teaching sessions are taken in
some of the secondary modern and primary schools. A programme of talks is given every year at the
Paddington Institute for Further Education.
During the year an interesting series of talks on different subjects was given for foreign students
at the Pulteney College, Wardour Street, in which many health visitors took part. One health
visitor is taking a regular educational Session at College Park Secondary School for Educationally