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85
HOME NURSING SERVICE
Section 25
The past year has been an extremely busy one for the home nurses.
The service has operated smoothly from the Area Health Office, all
messages being received there during office hours and the Superintendent's
home at all other times as in previous years.
A combination of pressure of work, increased holiday periods and
a high incidence of sickness amongst the staff have added difficulties
to the administration of this service during 1955.
Provision of Hospital Beds
The provision of hospital beds for the aged sick has seemed more
readily available this year and less difficulty has been encountered in
getting the aged and ill patients, particularly those who live alone
into hospital. This was a very pressing problem in 1953 and 1954.
Nevertheless, the requests for care of the aged continue to form a
large portion of each nurse's daily work.
Injection of Drugs
Injection of drugs continues to form an ever increasing part of the
work of the service, and it is necessary for the home nurse to have a
very up-to-date knowledge of modern drugs. Requests are frequently
made for twice daily visits and late night visits for relief of pain interfere
considerably with the planning of each day's work.
Nursing of Sick Children at Home
An analysis of work done for children at home showed that the
greatest part consisted of administering drugs (mainly penicillin),
very often in the early stages of illness. Relief of constipation and the
occasional nursing of measles or whooping cough form the rest of the
work. In the latter condition nurse is usually called in because the
mother has a large family or may for some reason be unable to nurse
the child satisfactorily. A good deal of teaching of mothers is carried
out for the application of poultices and minor treatments.
Co-operation with Other Services
As before, the nurses have worked closely with general practitioners,
health visitors and home helps, and the exchange of information
between these bodies is very valuable to all concerned.
The British Red Cross Society and the Old People's Welfare Committees
have also given the service every assistance. The Ambulance
Service is always very ready to help and on two particular occasions,
when the nurse was in difficulty with heavy and unconscious patients
they arrived within a few minutes of the request to help carry one
patient upstairs and one was lifted from the floor. These two unusual
requests were met unhesitatingly.