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There are 30 medical relief stations, at 11 of which are pharmacies. In other
cases, and where patients attend at doctors' surgeries, medicines are obtained from
local chemists.
District
nursing
service
During 1946, the arrangements for the nursing of patients in their homes on
behalf of the Council by nurses employed by district nursing associations was
continued. Grant was paid by the Council to the Central Council for District Nursing
in London for distribution on a visit basis to the associations concerned. The amount
of grant was reviewed, and increased to meet the cost of higher remuneration paid
to individual nurses. The numbers of visits made on the Council's behalf, both for
general nursing and for the administration of insulin, showed an increase on the
comparable figures for 1945 (193,261 and 163,993 general nursing visits ; and 129,137
and 105,252 insulin visits).
Hospital
pharmaceutical
service
A pharmacists' advisory committee, under the chairmanship of a senior medical
officer on the central office staff, and composed of six pharmacists from general,
special and mental hospitals, annually elected by the pharmacists themselves, has
been formed to advise the medical officer on matters affecting the pharmaceutical
service in the hospitals. This committee has done much useful work, and the
administrative advantages resulting from this form of co-operation between central
office and the hospitals has been marked.
A pharmaceutical bulletin edited by one of the pharmacists and containing
instructions and information relating to the pharmaceutical service, as well as extracts
from professional and technical journals relating to the use of drugs, research and
forms of preparation, etc., is circulated to pharmacists once every two months.
Artificial
limbs
The arrangements with Queen Mary's (Roehampton) Hospital for the supply
and repair of artificial limb continued during the year. The scheme first came into
operation in 1932, and was originally formed for the provision and repair of artificial
limbs for persons in receipt of public assistance. It has proved a great success and
dow, in addition to elderly social welfare patients, arrangements are made for school
children, and for tuberculous, blind and mental health service patients, to be
provided, if required, with artificial limbs under the scheme. School children are
examined at school at six-monthly intervals and referred for the repair or adjustment
of their limbs if necessary.
Each patient referred to the hospital for the provision of a limb is seen by a limb
fitting surgeon, who decides on the type of limb to be provided. He also sees the
patient after completion of the limb, and instruction is given in the use of it. This
necessitates admission of some of the patients to the hospital for a short period,
for example, those with a double amputation, or school children fitted with artificial
arms.