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20
Professional Nursing in the Home.
(a) General.
The staff of the Dagenham District Nursing Association was
previously housed in one of the London County Council cottages
at 25, Alibon Road. To meet the needs of the district, additional
nurses were required and it was decided to build a branch home to
accommodate them. This building, York House, was erected
in what will be, when this area is fully developed, a central site,
and was opened on May 23rd. The staff, to start with, consisted
of the Sister-in-Charge, a staff nurse and three nurses. In times of
need, temporary nurses are added, on occasion there being as many
as twelve residing in the home. Whereas previously the services
of the nurses were largely limited to the area surrounding their
residence, it is now possible for them to undertake work throughout
the entire district, and no applications for nurses in any part of the
area have been refused. A standard charge is made per visit for
general nursing cases, with a maximum weekly charge, but this is
waived in necessitous cases.
The Local Authority use the services of the nurses for home
treatment of such cases as puerperal fever, ophthalmia, pemphigus,
etc. An arrangement has also been entered into by which a nurse
is available to accompany any maternity case being removed by
the Council's ambulance. Nurses have also, on occasion, attended
the Infant Welfare Centres in times of shortage of the Health
Visitors staff.
(b) For Infectious Diseases.
Home Helps are provided in cases of domestic difficulties
arising out of the home treatment of cases of scarlet fever.
Midwives.
There are no midwives in the district employed by the Local
Authority. At the end of the year there were 21 midwives living
in the district whose practices were confined almost entirely to this
area. In addition, 3 midwives living on the boundaries of the
district attend some confinements in this area.
Laboratory Facilities.
Examination of clinical material is undertaken at the Esst*
County Public Health Laboratory, Queen Victoria Street, London.
During the year, 368 swabs were examined for diphtheria bacillus,
330 samples of sputum for tuberculosis bacillus ; 5 samples tor
typhoid organism and 49 samples of hair for ringworm.
The same laboratory also undertakes the baeteriologi('al
examination of milk, of which 106 samples were submitted during
the year.
373 swabs were examined for the diphtheria bacillus at the
Public Health Offices.