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52
THE WORK OF THE HEALTH VISITORS
Co-operation with General Practitioners
One of the difficulties in promoting liaison between family
doctor and health visitor has been the fact that the former will
normally visit only when there is illness. In contrast to the
district nurse, therefore, there is no immediate common purpose
which links the attendance on a family of doctor and health
visitor. It was thought that an individual report covering each
visit of the health visitor might help to overcome the feeling
of the family doctor that advice was being given to his patient
without his being consulted or informed. This note is a printed
letter - "Dear Doctor, re The district Health
Visitor, Miss as paid a routine visit to the above
who, it is understood is, or will be on your medical list and
reports. "It was used following all visits, and posted from the
Department. Initial visits to infants on the 14th day after
birth produced so many "negative" reports that these letters
have now been given up. Otherwise the experiment seems successful
and the scheme fulfils a useful purpose.
Preventive Mental Health Work
The Medical Superintendent of the Warlingham Park Hospital
arrangedfor a regular group discussion with a psychiatrist from
the Child Guidance Clinic and his report and the comments of the
Superintendent Health Visitor are as follows:-
"Weekly sessions were started by Dr. Zanker at the Medical
Officer of Health's Department in Wellesley Road in June, 1955,
with the idea of introducing Health Visitors to the field of
preventive mental health work. After a few weeks experience it
was felt that this could best be done by inviting Health Visitors
to present cases of children under school age showing early
signs of emotional disturbance or behaviour disorder, and to
enable them to discuss with the psychiatrist how best they could
support the parents in the management of their children. It was
considered that in this way the Health Visitor could play a more
active part in the preventive field of mental health work.
While in the majority of cases presented by the Health Visitors
a thorough discussion about the home background, the
emotional attitude of the child, and the family relationships
seemed to be sufficient, nevertheless it was deemed advantageous
for a certain number of mothers to be invited, together with the
child, for an interview with the psychiatrist, the case being