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73
Three home nurses are fully " attached " to general practitioner
practices and two home nurses are working in liaison schemes.
Discussions are taking place with other general practitioners and
it is anticipated that more attachment schemes will be introduced
in the coming year.
The following table shows the total number of persons nursed
and the visits paid during the year: —

Home bathing service
The designation of home bathing attendants has been changed
to that of nursing auxiliaries and this service is now fully integrated
with that of the home nursing service. All patients attended
by the nursing auxiliaries are routinely visited by the home
nurses and the nursing auxiliaries work under the direction of the
home nurses.
Loan of equipment
To ensure the efficient nursing of patients in their own homes the
Council operates a scheme for lending, without charge, equipment
as distinct from those items which can be prescribed by general
practitioners. To avoid duplication of function by the Health
Department and the Social Services Department, arrangements were
made for the latter department to control all issues of equipment
normally provided to handicapped persons. The number of occasions
on which articles were issued on loan by the Health Department
during the year is shown below :—
Air rings 12
Beds (hospital or cot) 12
Back rests 19
Bed cradles 17
Fracture boards 12
Hoists 21
Mattresses 16
Ripple beds 14
Rubber sheeting 2
The Council's provision of home nursing equipment is supplemented
by the British Red Cross Society, which provides commodes
and wheelchairs and smaller items of equipment such as
air rings, bed pans, urine bottles and crutches. The Council is
continuing to make a grant to the Society to assist in maintaining
stocks of equipment.