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10. HEALTH VISITING
All Local Authorities have a duty under Section 24 of the National Health Service
Act, 1946, to provide a health visiting service. For this the Borough employs a Chief
Nursing Officer (Health Visiting), three Divisional Health Visitors and forty-three
Health Visitors. Twenty Clinic Nurses and four interpreters act as auxiliaries to this
service.
STAFF TRAINING
Five sponsored students successfully completed their training and joined the staff
in September. Four more are currently training at recognised colleges.
Two Divisional Health Visitors attended Management Courses during the year, and the
practice of sending Health Visitors on refresher courses at regular intervals was
continued. In addition, staff were kept well informed of new trends and modern concepts
appertaining to their work by in-service training. This included a course in conjunction
with the midwives on psychoprophylaxis, and a series of speakers from Hammersmith
Hospital on modern methods of treatment of the newborn.
VISITORS TO THE BOROUGH
The year brought increased demands for Health Visitors to have representatives and
students from varied disciplines to observe their work. To co-ordinate this service a
Health Visitor was selected to plan such programmes in addition to her normal duties.
Throughout the year 103 students visited clinics in the Borough, some coming from
abroad to study aspects of community health in this country.
HEALTH EDUCATION
Teaching in various types of groups and schools continued. The principle that Health
Visitors teaching in senior schools must have an additional teaching certificate was
maintained. At present there are five Health Visitors with teaching certificates and
three Health Visitors are currently attending Chiswick Polytechnic for the City and
Guilds Teaching Certificate. Mothercraft and psychoprophylaxis classes are held in the
majority of clinics weekly.
The majority of a Health Visitor's work is still home visiting, incorporating the
wider concepts of health education and social advice to the whole family. Her main work
is in the prevention of physical, emotional and mental ill health, early detection of
ill health, recognition of needs and the appropriate resources available.
VISITS BY HEALTH VISITORS
Children under five years of age 24,825
Elderly 3,745
Mentally Handicapped 231
Discharged from hospital 483
Other visits 5,196
CLINIC NURSES
During the year there was an increase of two State Registered Nurses to the clinic
nurse establishment. This was to undertake additional work involved through an increased
school population and further clinic sessions.
The Clinic Nurse takes much of the routine work off the shoulders of the Health Visitors. They
do this by taking part in the whole range of the Council's Clinic Services.
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