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The assistance of clinic nurses has helped to relieve the health visitor
of some of her duties, so as to maintain the existing services and develop
the wider conception of health teaching.
School Nursing
Infestation of school children has lessened to a remarkable degree
during the last four years. This is probably due to the exclusion of all
those found to be infested instead of only those showing a marked
degree of infestat on.
The number of children examined n 1951 was 99,066 of whom 1,231
(1.2%) were infested as compared with 113,320 examined in 1954 of
whom 594 (0.5%) were infested.
Health Visitors and Hospitals
Good liaison exists between health visitors, almoners, and other
personnel connected with the hospitals, particularly in relation to expectant
mothers, discharged from hospital, who are in need of further
carc and attention and others who should attend hospital and fail to
do so.
A health visitor regularly attends the Paediatric Department of the
Prince of Wales's Hospital.
Daily telephone enquiries and information is received and sent out
to hospitals n the London and Metropolitan Area as well as written
health visitors' reports to these and other agencies concerned with health
and welfare.
Health Visitors and Family Doctors
The Superintendent Health Visitor was invited to speak on "The
work of the Health Visitor" to the North Middlesex Branch of
the British Medical Association on the 28th May, 1954. This was
followed by questions, comments and a good deal of discussion. On
the 17th July an informal meeting of health visitors, medical officers
and family doctors was held at Lordship Lane Clinic.
This year there has been an increased number of requests from family
doctors for health visitors to follow-up or give assistance to patients
or families in their care. Reporting back to the family doctor is recognised
as being of supreme importance if good liaison between both parties is
to be achieved.
School Health Service
A lecture on "Cerebral Palsy" was given to parents of children attending
the School for the Physically Handicapped on the 4th August by
Dr. W. F. Dunham, Medical Director of the Spastic Unit. There were
54 parents and health visitors present.
Training of Health Visitor Students
Eight student health visitors were given practical training in the Area
as part of their Health Visitors' Course. Four of these were sponsored
by the Royal College of Nursing for short term experience; of the four
others from Battersea Polytechnic, three attended for three terms and
one for her first term.
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