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VISITORS TO THE DEPARTMENT
the majority of visitors to the department visited the Woodberry Down health centre,
either solely or as part of a wider programme, partly because under its roof may be
seen so many examples of the services provided by the department and partly because
of the unique nature of the Centre.
Visitors
In 1955, 526 visitors from home and abroad went there. Further details of visitors to
the health centre are given on page 143.
Facilities for visits to other premises and services or for talks with senior, medical,
nursing or administrative staff, were extended to 266 visitors (some of whom also went
to Woodberry Down health centre and are therefore included in the larger figure
above) 163 being from 52 overseas countries.
Hospital student nurses, of whom 3,627 visited during the year, were again the Students
largest single class of student for whom the department provided opportunities for
observation and instruction, and their number increased considerably compared with
that for the previous year. 470 students engaged in various types of training connected
with the education of the educationally sub-normal, the training of the mentally
defective and social science field visited occupation centres for the mentally defective.
Health visitor students from Battersea Polytechnic and from the Royal College of
Nursing continued to gain practical experience in the divisions while arrangements
were also made for them to pay visits of observation in parties to services and premises
administered by the Public Health and other departments of the Council.
Post-graduate medical students studying for the Diploma in Child Health and the
Certificate in Public Health continued to be given facilities under the supervision of
the medical staff for visiting premises relating to the maternity and child welfare services
and to the school health services. During the year about 1,125 visits were arranged for
75 students preparing for the Diploma and about 180 visits were arranged for some
36 students preparing for the Certificate.
Training centres continued to send groups of medical, nursing or social science
students to undertake visits of observation and to be given talks relating to the department's
activities and during the year students came from the following organisations :
London School of Economics
Royal College of Nursing
Battersea Polytechnic
Women Public Health Officers' Association
Battersea Training College of Domestic Science
King Edward's Hospital Fund Staff Training College
Queen Elizabeth College
Bedford College
The National Training College of Domestic Subjects.
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