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PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE
AND AFTER-CARE
HOKE NURSING SERVICE
This service continued to develop during the year, and met the steadily
increasing demands made upon it. These demands include a great deal of
bed-bathing which we feel might be done by less highly skilled staff such as
bathing attendants. Perhaps in the future it may be possible to supplement the
service in this way.
The persistent shortage of hospital beds for the elderly chronic sick laid
a heavy burden on nursing staff in endeavouring to maintain at home, patients
who would otherwise have been in hospital.
It is pleasing to report that all the pupil nurses in training for the
Queen's Certificate passed their examinations, thus achieving a 100% pass for the
second consecutive year.
Statistics
Total number of persons nursed during the year 1758
Number of persons who were aged under 5 at first visit 16
Number of persons who were aged 65 or over at first visit 682
LOAN OF SICK-ROOM EQUIPMENT
Patients being nursed at home may, on medical recommendation, be loaned a
wide variety of equipment to assist in their care.
Bulky items are delivered to patients' homes, smaller articles are collected
from the health department. The types of equipment available include hydraulic
hoists for lifting certain helpless patients from their beds to chairs, their
bath, toilet, etc., commodes, bed-pans, back-rests, walking aids, waterproof
sheets, disposable pads, etc.
2,166 articles were loaned during the year and 3,591 items were out on loan
at the end of the year. In addition, 26,500 disposable pads for incontinent
patients were issued. The disposal of these pads has not given rise to any
difficulty up to the present, although their increasing use may call for special
arrangements in the future, particularly in smokeless zones and in centrally
heated blocks of flats. Where patients have not been able to dispose of the pads,
this has been arranged at the destructor plant.
0XL0W LANE GERIATRIC CLINIC
(for the Over Sixties)
The clinic continued to "tick over" despite staffing and transport problems
which considerably limit a more ambitious programme (in spite of any demand).
Outside interest continues to be shown in the activities of the clinic, and we
have had the privilege of demonstrating some of these to various visitors.
Although under constant pressure arising from acute staff shortage, the
prospect of opening a clinic in another part of the borough to cater for the
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