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13. HOME NURSING
Section 25 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, charges the Council with the
duty of providing a home nursing service for patients in their own homes. For this
purpose the Council employs a Chief Nursing Officer (Midwifery and Home Nursing),
a Deputy Chief Nursing Officer (Home Nursing), and 38 full-time home nurses of
whom three are male nurses, and 11 part-time home nurses. All the home nurses
have the state registered nurse qualification, and the majority have additional district
nurse training. The services of a home nurse are available from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.
every day. Each home nurse is attached to one of the groups based on six of the
health clinics in the Borough and works under the direction of the general practitioner.
Three home nurses were assigned Borough-owned cars during the year and the others
were given a car allowance for use with their own cars, as mobility is essential to
cover the day's work. Patients are recommended for home nursing by general
practitioners, medical social workers in hospitals and by the Council's own staff
such as health visitors and welfare officers.
The types of illness which are nursed at home fall into four main categories,
namely:—
(1) Patients requiring short-term care, e.g., post-operative cases requiring
daily dressings and/or injections.
(2) Chronically sick patients requiring long-term care, e.g., paraplegic or
hemiplegic patients, diabetics requiring regular injections.
(3) Elderly patients with chronic multiple disorders.
(4) Terminal cancer patients.
More and more elderly patients are now nursed at home and the home nurse
plays an important part in keeping them in the community and out of hospital.
The Council acts as the local agent for the Marie Curie Foundation which provides,
without charge, day and night assistance to patients with terminal cancer. A
register of state registered and state enrolled nurses willing to nurse such patients,
and persons with nursing experience willing to act as “sitters in” is kept in the
department. The Foundation also pays for medical appliances, equipment, and
special items of diet for such patients where necessary.
During the year, six nurses were seconded for three months to take the district
nursing course at Chiswick Polytechnic and all were successful in obtaining their
National Certificate of District Training. Three other home nurses attended
refresher courses organized by the Queen's Institute of District Nursing and the
Deputy Chief Nursing Officer (Home Nursing) attended a conference entitled
“A New Look at Home Care”.
On the 5th November, Miss W. E. Lawrence, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer
(Home Nursing) and Mrs. J. H. Waldron (Home Nurse) were presented with Long
Service Badges of the Queen's Institute by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra
at the Fishmongers Hall, City of London.
Number of patients nursed in the year 3,636
Number of visits made to patients 108,332
Number of patients helped by the Marie Curie Foundation 13
LOAN OF NURSING EQUIPMENT
A function of the Council is the loan of nursing equipment for the care of the sick
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