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HEALTH VISITING SERVICE
Section 24
The Report of the working party on the field of work, training and
recruitment of health visitors published during the year gives Local
Health Authorities a clear guide as to the requirements of the service and
the position of the health visitor as "truly a medico-social worker playing
a full part in both preventive medicine and social action."
The recommended average case load of one health visitor to 4,300
population is one of a number of important recommendations and conclusions
reached by the working party which have so far not been attained
in this Area. Case loads in this Area are approximately 1-6,000 of the
population.
This heavy case load makes a considerable demand on the time of
health visitors who deal with emergency home visits, visits for hospital
reports, visits to the aged and other special groups, the follow-up of
premature infants, special investigations as well as routine visits, and
routine clinic work; resulting in more selective visiting than was the case
in previous years. Inevitably therefore the number of actual home visits
must fall although the quality of each visit is likely to be more valuable
to the individual visited.
Home visits are not infrequently undertaken during the evening, that
is, where it is necessary in order to see working parents and others who
are not accessible at other times.
Scheme for the Health Visiting of Problem Families
In this Area a detailed scheme was prepared as an attempt to assist
in the prevention of the break-up of families or their rehabilitation in
their own homes. Two Special Services Health Visitors were appointed
for this purpose as from March 1957; one for Hornsey and one for
Tottenham. In taking over this specialised work they call on other
services and voluntary organisations available in the area to assist them
when necessary.
The Superintendent Health Visitor, Miss Townsend, reports as follows:
Home Visiting of families in the flooded areas of Tottenham and
Hornsey was undertaken during August. In all 737 houses were visited
to ensure that the health of children in these areas was not impaired by
the unexpected and unfortunate occurrences.
Sponsored Health Visitor Training
The Local Health Authority's scheme for the training of health visitor
students has proved valuable in providing a source of qualified health
visitors to supplement wastage through retirement and other reasons.
At present one sponsored student is receiving practical training in this
Area under the scheme.
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