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CLINIC NURSES
Owing to the nation-wide shortage of health visitors the establishment is made up with
clinic nurses (S.R.N.s.).
These nurses assist the health visitors in clinical sessions, school medical inspections and
selected follow-up visiting.
The clinic nurses are a valuable section of the nursing personnel and efforts are being made
to increase their job satisfaction by extending their scope e.g. to infectious disease visiting and
possibly family planning in the future. This could be a full time speciality or in addition to
general duties; in the School Medical Service, simple health education after hygiene inspections
in schools and some follow-up visits after school medical inspections.
MIDWIFERY
Domiciliary midwives attended 417 confinements during the year and also undertook the
care of 474 patients discharged home after hospital confinements before the tenth day; the
latter figure consists mainly of those cared for under the Council's planned early discharge scheme.
Also included in this figure are those who took their own discharge from hospital. The planned
early discharge scheme has now been extended to the hospitals in the Woolwich Group used
by Bexley residents. At Queen Mary's Hospital and Hainault the planned early discharge scheme
in which the general practitioner obstetrician and domiciliary midwife deliver and care for
specially booked mothers in hospital, is working well. The mother is discharged home as soon
as practicable and being cared for by the same doctor and midwife, this gives a degree of
continuity of care that has been found most desirable. 275 of the 474 early discharges came
into this category.
We are most appreciative of the co-operation and consideration we have had from Queen
Mary's, West Hill and Hainault Hospitals colleagues.
PUPIL MIDWIVES
We have continued to take part II pupils from Queen Mary's, British Hospital for Mothers
and Babies Hospitals during the year and 49 pupils have completed with us the District part
of their training. The new integrated scheme for training pupil midwives will commence at Queen
Mary's Hospital in May 1972.
OBSTETRIC NURSE EXPERIENCE
Facilities are provided for nurses in general training to accompany the Domiciliary Midwives
on the District and to attend sessions at the Ante-Natal Clinics, and during the year 48 nurses
received this experience.
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