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REPORT OF CHIEF NURSING OFFICER
As Chief Nursing Officer, appointed in May of this year, much of
my time during the past six months has been spent on the appraisal and
assessment of work carried out by staff in the Community Nursing and
Health Visiting Service together with other sections for which I am
at present responsible, namely - School/Clinic Nurses and Attendants,
the Assessment Centre and Play Therapy Groups plus Day Nurseries,
Registered Child Minders and Private Play Groups.
On paper, an establishment of 196 personnel to cover the above
services would appear to be adequate to meet present day demand, but
unfortunately, many of these posts are unfilled therefore, I consider that
the staff in post should be commended for their efforts in trying under
difficult circumstances to maintain a satisfactory service - in particular
the Health Visitors, who total eighteen in number against an establishment
of forty eight.
This is a time of perpetual change and one in which it is essential
that we plan to function efficiently by using our limited resources in
the most economical way.
Every year, statistics appertaining to the number of households visited
are recorded by each section. These however, do not necessarily provide a
complete picture of the numerous duties performed, neither do they illustrate
the changing pattern of work required to meet present day demand.
District Nurse Section
This Branch complements the hospital service not only in dealing
with the elderly to relieve the strain on hospital beds, but also in caring
for the chronic sick, pre and post operative treatment, administering
drugs, antibiotics and cortisone injections, etc.
District Nurses can maintain persons in their own homes thus allowing
them the feeling of independence essential to their own self respect and
well being.
A larger District Nursing team with supporting attendants working
in conjunction with general practitioners could do much to relieve the
over burdened hospital bed situation and also give relief to the
Ambulance Service by reducing the number of people being transported to
and from hospital for treatment which could well be performed by the
fully qualified district nurses. With the pressure of work in out patient
departments and traffic congestion on the roads, a wider use of her skills
would do much to provide a more personal and satisfactory service to the
Community.
District Midwifery Section
A marked change in the functions of a district midwife has occurred
in recent years caused by the steadily decreasing number of home confinements
and the resultant large additional number of home visits to mothers and
their babies being discharged from hospital after forty-eight hours still
requiring a midwife's care. These mothers in the past, would have received
at least ten days of hospital in-patient treatment.
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