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16
These visits embrace all the activities of the Health Department and although they may be
time-consuming they prove interesting and stimulating to the staff concerned.
STAFF TRAINING
The City Council is well aware of the importance of the training of its staff. It aims to have a fully
qualified staff and to this end it has adopted the following policy:
1. To employ and train staff especially recruited for the purpose, namely student public health
inspectors, nursery students, district nurses, both state registered nurses and state enrolled nurses.
2. To provide facilities under its Post-Entry Training Scheme whereby staff wishing to obtain either
a basic qualification or an additional qualification are released, usually on one day each week, to
attend college. The City Council normally makes a 100% grant of tuition and examination fees
and the cost of travelling for the purposes of training when an initial qualification is being sought
and 75%for an additional qualification.
3. In addition to 1 and 2 above, staff are sent on a number of courses organised by specialist bodies
for particular designations of officer, e.g. refresher courses for nursing and nursery staff, management
courses for administrative and clerical staff.
The City Council is also aware of its responsibility to train staff for the general advantage of the
local government service and to this end the Health Department accepts a number of social worker
students on placement from universities and colleges of further education. In addition instruction in
the role of the local authority is given to student nurses from the Royal College of Nursing and from
the teaching hospitals in the City.
It has become the practice during January of each year for three trainees in hospital administration,
who are university graduates employed by the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, to
spend a week in the department talking to senior members of the staff about the services for which
they are responsible.
All this training of persons from outside the department is accepted by the membersof staff involved
as a responsibility they have to the local government service and they find also that it is a most
stimulating challenge leading to a reappraisal of their own duties and methods.
Medical Officers
During 1969 the Medical Officer of Health attended a medical computer course; one Deputy
Medical Officer of Health attended a three months management course for Chief and Senior officers
organised by Birmingham University; a senior medical officer attended a course in developmental
paediatrics, organised by the Society of Medical Officers of Health; one departmental medical officer
received instruction in the ascertainment of mentally subnormal children, and one attended a course
in the assessment of severely subnormal young children.
Public Health Inspectors
Three inspectors attended a course on air pollution, four a course on noise and five a variety of
courses on food control.
Student Public Health Inspectors
Fifteen student public health inspectors were employed during the year, two of whom qualified
in the mid-summer examinations and were appointed as public health inspectors on the staff of
the department.
Social Workers
Three social workers were seconded to one-year courses leading to a professional qualification;
others attended a number of shorter courses.
District Nurses
Ten State Registered Nurses successfully completed the training for the National Certificate in
District Nursing; this included four from the Hammersmith Hospital Integrated Course. Five State
Enrolled Nurses attended district nursing courses and received the Queen's Institute of District
Nursing certificate. Two district nurses attended a practical work instructors course at Chiswick
Polytechnic.