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Hair infestation in school children did not decline during the year
commensurately with the efforts of the staff spent in trying to eradicate it.
Observations made by a health visitor on the diminishing effectiveness of
preparations being used for head cleansing led to a small survey being conducted
in one area of the Borough and the trial of a new preparation which it is hoped
may reduce the incidence in the future.
Maternity and Child Health Centres
The Health Visitor as a 'non-crisis visitor' is in a unique position within
the health and allied services Her work is mainly preventive with the objective
of assisting inpromoting and maintaining the total physical and mental health of
the family. The majority of health visitors have good contact with the Genera]
Practitioners on their areas, often calling at their surgeries for liaison
purposes and have maintained and increased their links with local hospitals.
They attend paediatric, developmental and psychoprophylactic sessions in
hospitals, thus providing a link between hospital and home. This increasing
liaison with allied services will inevitably lead to a lessening of home visits
being made by the Health Visitor, with the diminishing time available to her for
this purpose.
Health visitors are frequently invited to case conferences in hospitals and
with other borough and allied services in an attempt to provide the most
comprehensive care and assistance for the pat ient and family. Their taskofhealth
education and social advice continues undramatica]1y but none the less
effectively in the homes, schools, clinics and various groups in the fiorough
- the child in the family and school setting being the focal point of their work.
The results of their work will be long-term rather than immediate.
Twenty-eight Health Visitors and Clinic/School Nurses have attended and
appreciated conferences and courses of varying lengths and on various topics
throughout the year. These courses are important if the staff are to be kept
up-to-date in their knowledge. They are also helpful if the staff in the
preventive health field are to maintain their morale and not feel themselves
considered as just a residua] service in the coming changes in the Local
Authority services.
A total of 504 observation visits were arranged by the Maternity and Child
Wei fare and Schools sections for students from allied professions, for the purpose
of orientation in the Local Authority health services. The total of 50* visitors
was made up as follows:-
30 Pupil Midwives
97 Medical Students
18 Post Graduate Students
14 District Nurses
344 Student Nurses
1 World Health Organisation Nurse Planner
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