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Supervision of Midwives. Miss D. Riseley, Matron of the Barking
Hospital, has continued to act as non-medical supervisor of midwives,
although the nature of her hospital duties makes it difficult for her
to visit midwives on the district as often as she considers desirable.
It is anticipated that we shall have approval to the appointment
of Dr. Adamson as Medical Supervisor of Midwives early next year.
HEALTH VISITING
The implementation of the National Health Service Act has put
a steadily increasing load of work on to the Health Visitors. More
and more old people, chronic sick and physically handicapped are
being added to their case load. The shortage of Health Visitors continues,
which means that the increasing weight of work is being borne
by already overburdened staff. No longer can a Health Visitor pay
regular "routine" visits to all the mothers in her area but she has to
"select" for visits those homes where she knows there is a real need
It is with pleasure I am able to report that there is developing a
very much closer liaison between the Health Visitors and the General
Practitioners. During the year a series of little "tea-parties" was held
at the clinic to which all the General Practitioners in the area were
invited—and in fact about half attended. This gave the General
Practitioners an opportunity of meeting the Public Health team, and
the staff an opportunity to meet some of the doctors for the first
time.
There is also a closer liaison with hospital almoners who are
constantly seeking our help in dealing with their patients' problems
or requesting reports on the home background of the patients, to help
the physician Dr surgeon who is treating the case.
The new syllabus laid down by the General Nursing Council for
the training of nurses includes lectures in public health to be given
by Public Health staff, and the Rush Green Hospital has been allocated
to Barking for this purpose. The first series of five lectures was given
by Miss MoGilrray in April and May and two groups of student
nurses came to Barking in June and September to see the various
branches of the work of the Public Health Department.

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