View report page

44
Assistant Health Education Officer
The arrival of a full time qualified Assistant Health
Education Officer has made a tremendous difference to the Health
Education Section. It has been possible to give much more help
to the staff and to show by example many of the teaching techniques.
Many more good quality visual aids have been made and
every possible encouragement was given to people both inside and
outside the department to use them to the best advantage.
In-Service Training
Short sessions of in-service training, particularly with the
health visitors have continued during the year. Regular sessions
were held with Dr. Crosse, Child Psychiatrist for Croydon, the
discussions following the showing of Mental Health films; they
were a great help in the understanding of emotional problems in
children.
In October, the first of two courses on "Human Relations in
Obstetrics" was held for half the staff. This was the result of
consideration of a circular from the Ministry of Health in which
reference was made to a report from the Committee of the Central
Health services Council designed to improve human relations in
obstetrics.
This two day course was run in Croydon by the Central Council
for Health Education. Doctors, hospital and domiciliary midwives,
health visitors, district nurses and mental welfare
officers were invited. The following subjects were covered on
the first day:-
"The promotion of mental health by human relations and
methods of human relations teaching" by Dr. A. J. Dalzell-Ward,
"Mental Illness (hiring pregnancy" by Dr. S.A. MacKeith (Psydiiatrist),
"The problems of human relations specific to pregnancy,
labour and puerperium" by Dr. S. A. MacKeith (Psychiatrist) and
Mr. A Gift (Obstetrician). The second day was devoted to role
playing and case study sessions. These were not entirely
successful with a mixed group of professional people, not very
well known to each other and only meeting for a short time and
it was resolved to hold properly led group discussions during
the second course in the Spring. It was also found to be administratively
difficult to release so many staff for two whole
days and it was decided that the second course could be covered
in one day by having morning, afternoon and evening sessions.
However, the participants thought that the course had been helpful
and enjoyable. Several other short sessions were held for
the staff during the year by the health education section mainly
to demonstrate new material.