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It is considered that these arrangements provide adequately for the in-service training
of nursing staff in accident prevention whilst the broader basis of instruction maintains a
balance between this aspect of health education, important as it is, and other important
matters.
Instruction in schools
Health education in schools, which is the responsibility of the Education Committee,
features regularly in the curriculum. In many schools talks on mothercraft, etc., are
given by school nursing sisters/health visitors, whilst housecraft and education in
citizenship also have a health education content. This generally contains an element of
instruction on the need to prevent accidcnts in the home. The curriculum in each school
is under the control of the headmaster or headmistress and, speaking generally, it is
doubtful whether the instruction could be greatly extended, having regard to the
competing claims of the many subjects in the school syllabus.
Heads of schools have co-operated willingly by the display of posters, distribution
of leaflets and by giving talks or facilities for talks by health department staff in the
home safety campaigns that have been arranged. Road safety training is a recognised
part of the school curriculum and encourages, as indicated elsewhere in this report, the
general' safety mindedness' of school-children, thus helping to get them into the habits
of forethought and care which will promote their own safety and that of others in many
ways.
Exhibition and demonstration material
The Council has continued to acquire material but experience has made it clear that
mechanical apparatus such as turntables and page turning machines need considerable
care to keep them in good order. Larger material is not wholly satisfactory as it tends to
suffer damage at the hands of the public and in transit whilst the opportunities of using
it are limited because welfare centres and other establishments do not have room for it
to be used to the best advantage. Generally all apparatus of these two types needs to be
so placed that the public cannot interfere with it and this limits further its usefulness.
Provision of flannelgraphs, flip charts, and triptychs with pegboard backs has been
made. This has proved more useful as they can be adapted to various subjects and local
circumstances by individual members of the staff. The courses provided by the Central
Council for Health Education already mentioned have been concerned, inter alia, with
demonstration techniques.
A portable exhibition?—The provision for use in health service premises or elsewhere
as opportunity occurred, of a portable exhibition which would form a comprehensive
whole whilst being capable of being used in sections in premises of varying size has been
proposed. The intention was to portray the various health services available and to
provide a medium of health education generally to supplement the daily work of field
workers. This has received full and careful consideration in the light of experience gained
in the various publicity campaigns and exhibitions in which the public health department
has been concerned and by health visitors in their daily work. It was found to be difficult
to evolve an exhibition of a general nature which would at the same time provide an
effective medium for health education on specific subjects. The size of the exhibits would
have to be limited to enable it to be used in welfare centres, etc., whilst opportunities of
using it as a whole would be few. The initial cost would be very considerable and there
would arise the continuing expense of maintaining the exhibits in good condition.
Damage arising in transit and the cost of transport were all factors that had to be taken
into account. The exhibits once designed would not necessarily be adapted to local
conditions and because of considerations of space would in many cases be handicapped
from the point of view of display.
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