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accepted, investigated and treated all the patients we referred to them, and
also to the general practitioners who were most co-operative and helped our
work tremendously.
HEALTH VISITING
The service has been carried on with certain limitations due to unfilled
staff vacancies.
While visits have been made to all mothers and newborn infants, with
phenylketonuria tests made at 3 And 6 weeks, further follow-up work has not been
maintained at the level we would wish. Most mothers attend their nearest Infant
Welfare centre until the baby is a year old, and have the opportunity to discuss
developmental problems with the medical officer and the health visitor, but
follow-up work amongst toddlers has tended to lag.
It is during the middle pre-school years that behaviour patterns begin to
emerge, and close observation is needed in order to recognise deviations from
normal. As progress is made towards a full child development assessment programme,
problems in behaviour become more clearly recognised, and health visitors
are seeking to assist mothers in day-to-day management through both personal and
group discussions. Several regular sessions are under way wherein emotional as
well as physical development are considered, and whilst the undoubted need for
more home visits exists, profitable time must also be spent in health education.
An Open Evening for fathers is usually very well attended.
With the decline in demand for local health ante-natal services, some
sessions are being taken over by the midwifery section, and others used for
cytology. This service has opened up the health and social needs of a section of
the community not hitherto dealt with, and clinic premises are more and more
visited by adults other than expectant or nursing mothers.
Health visitors are tending to have a closer relationship with the school
population, and are available to both staff and children. They have been
frequently involved in the health education programmes. An Adolescent Clinic is
held at one centre following school hours.
Visits to the elderly to assess needs, capacity, and those concerning
conditions likely to cause physical and mental deterioration, have been Bade
initially by health visitors with clinic nurses taking the weight of follow-up
visiting.
To keep abreast with trends and developments, the staff have had opportunities
to attend refresher courses and conferences, including an evening at York
House when a Consultant discussed the need for early diagnosis of congenital
dislocation of hip in the newborn, and demonstrated both with film and with a
baby borrowed for the occasion, techniques of examination to midwives and health
visitors. All health visitors in the area attended courses on screening tests
for early detection of hearing loss.