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38
THE WORK OF THE HEALTH VISITORS
(Miss E. A. Evans, H.V., S.R.N., S.C.M., Chief Nursing Officer)
The work of the health visitors, organised from ten maternal and child welfare centres in the
City, proceeded smoothly throughout the year. Home visiting provides one of the most varied
and rewarding aspects of their work. The health visitor becomes a welcome friend whose knowledge
and skills are available to all who need them.
Over the past few years, the trend has been toward earlier marriage; this results in many more
young and inexperienced mothers. The health visitor is able to teach, to reassure and to help
the young parents provide the best environment for their children. As the young mother gains
confidence, the health visitor lessens the frequency of her visits. The good relationship which
has been built up between family and health visitor is a most important factor in the health visitor's
role as family friend and counsellor.
Not all families show obvious benefit, however; some are mentally or physically unfit or are
chronically bad managers. Here, the need for visiting and support does not diminish but may
indeed increase. The health visitor is always ready to work in such situations with social workers
from the Health or Children's Departments or from voluntary agencies. Where the problems
seem intractable or the family situation shows deterioration, the health visitor will either give
intensive support or bring the facts forward to an intermediate case conference of the Co-ordinating
Committee; at these conferences, her close knowledge of the whole family and background is
greatly valued.
Health Education
This is an important aspect of the health visitor's work, and one to which an informed and
lively enthusiasm is brought. In addition to weekly sewing classes, discussion groups, film
shows and mothers' clubs (to which speakers on a wide variety of topics are invited), teaching in
schools is a regular feature.
Pupils from College Park Secondary School for Educationally Subnormal Girls attend teaching
sessions each week at a nearby welfare centre; this has the added advantage of bringing them
into a normal environment.
Senior nursing staff are in frequent demand as speakers to outside bodies, and one such
occasion was a Ministry of Health conference at which the Chief Nursing Officer was one of the
speakers.
Refresher Courses
Courses attended by various members of the nursing staff during the year included:
Administration, audiology, audio-visual aid training, Family Planning Association training,
and refresher courses as appropriate.
Recruitment and Training
Two day nursery matrons retired, Miss Neall and Mrs. Dawes, after 21 and 19 years' service
respectively. Two new matrons were appointed and are now well established in their posts.
Five student health visitors were sponsored by the City Council and trained during 1967. The
Department also provided practical instruction for students from other boroughs.
Group Practice Attachment
Two groups of doctors had previously had a health visitor attached on a part-time basis. So
successful was this experiment that both groups now have a full-time health visitor. Both
doctors and health visitors feel that this is worth-while and is resulting in a better service to the
community.
MATERNAL AND CHILD WELFARE CENTRES
Child welfare clinics and ante-natal clinics continue to be held, but any necessary changes are
made as the needs of the community change. Greater emphasis is placed on screening for defects
and developmental testing of young children. At the child welfare clinics, attendances are well
maintained, but there is a noticeable decrease in attendances at ante-natal clinics, some of which
have been replaced by cytology or family planning clinics.