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Relaxation and Mothercraft
Seventy-five courses on relaxation and mothercraft for expectant mothers were
held at clinics. Each course consisted of six sessions and during the year 3,278
attendances were made by 616 women.
Health Education
Classes in schools were continued as last year and several films were shown.
Afternoon and evening talks were given to young wives' groups.
Ancillary Help
State registered nurses not holding the health visitor's certificate continued to
be employed as clinic nurses to replace health visitors during school inspections,
for school clinic duties, and to assist at child health clinic sessions. To reduce the
time spent by health visitors on clerical work, clerical staff were employed part-time
at clinics.
Ministry of Health Circular 32/68 on the use of ancillary help in local authority
nursing services drew attention to the advantage obtained by the employment of
state registered nurses, voluntary workers and clerical staff, in order to make the
best use of qualified health visitors.
We are fortunate to have no less than 120 voluntary workers to help us at the
child health clinics.
Training of Staff of other Agencies
Student nurses from the three major local hospitals continued to spend time
with health visitors, learning about the preventive services by visiting homes with
the health visitor and seeing the work done in the clinics. Lectures were given by
the Medical Officer of Health, the superintendent and deputy superintendent health
visitors at the hospital.
Student nurses from the Middlesex Hospital continued to visit the borough
periodically for practical training in community services.
The Children's Department and the technical colleges also were given opportunities
for their students to learn about the work of the health visitors and the
department generally.
(See Statistical Tables 10 and 15)
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