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97
STAFF TRAINING AND STUDENT TRAINING
During 1971 the Health Department started a vigorous programme
of in-service training of the medical and nursing staff. This
was concerned mainly with developmental paediatrics and reflected
the increasing recognition of the importance of this subject in
relation to the quality of life in childhood.
A series of lectures, extending over the academic year, dealing
with the physical, emotional and mental growth of children, proved
of interest not only to our own staff but to general practitioners
and doctors from the Paediatric Departments of the Hospitals in
the Wandsworth area. Recognition and approval of the extended
course on developmental paediatrics was given by the British Postgraduate
Medical Federation under Section 63 of the Health Services
and Public Health Act, 1968, and in consequence attracted the
attendance of one-in-four of the local general practitioners. The
cross-fertilisation of ideas that resulted has proved extremely
valuable.
Demonstrations of the screening procedures used in the routine
examination of the pre-school child were held in clinics and surgeries.
An extension of this practical programme is envisaged for
1972.
A Deputy Chief Nursing Officer responsible inter alia for staff
and student training and health education was appointed in August.
The Chief Nursing Officer attended a senior management course
of ten weeks duration at the King's Fund College of Hospital
Management. A Principal Nursing Officer attended Chiswick
Polytechnic on a half-day per week release scheme to study for
part 'A' of the Diploma in Nursing and was successful in her
examinations. Nine student health visitors who commenced training
in 1970, were successful in their examinations and eight were
appointed to the staff in September. One student was not appointed
as she married and moved away from the area. Five student health
visitors commenced training in September.
Five health visitors and two midwives attended post-graduate
refresher courses arranged by the Health Visitors' Association and
the Royal College of Midwives.
Two health visitors and one home nurse successfully completed
courses to work as fieldwork instructors to students undertaking
health visitor or district nurse training.
Eight home nurses were sponsored for district training during
the year and all completed the course and were successful in their
examinations.
The domiciliary midwifery service provided district midwifery
training of three months duration for twenty-three pupil midwives.
Throughout the year 114 nurses taking the obstetric nurse course