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PERSONAL HEALTH
Health visiting
It is the duty of every local health authority to make provision in their area
for the visiting of persons in their homes by health visitors for the purpose
of giving advice as to the care of young children, persons suffering from
illness and expectant or nursing mothers, and as to the measures necessary
to prevent the spread of infection.
Section 24,
National Health Service
Act, 1946
Section 11 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 enables local
health authorities to make provision for the visiting by health visitors of
persons elsewhere than in their homes, the intention being to promote the
more effective deployment of staff and to facilitate co-operation between
general medical practice and local health authority services. The section
also provides for arrangements between local health authorities for the
services of health visitors employed by one authority to be made available
in another authority's area on agreed terms and conditions.
Section 11,
Health Services and
Public Health Act 1968
Figures relating to visits to homes by health visitors are set out in Table 14.
Other duties included attendance at ante-natal, post-natal and child health
clinics, mothercraft and relaxation classes, and the important function of
health education practised in the homes, clinics and schools.
Health visitors attending the paediatric clinic at Chase Farm Hospital were
able to pass on to their colleagues, as appropriate, the advice and
instructions given by the consultant paediatrician.
Liaison with Hospitals
and General
Practitioners
Health visitors also continued to attend the Maternity Units at North Middlesex
Hospital, Highlands Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital.
Under the scheme whereby health visitors are enabled to have closer liaison
with medical group practices, the health visitor attends the local authority
clinic as usual, but her visiting covers the families of the medical group
practice instead of a geographical area. At the end of the year five health
visitors were attached to five group practices thus serving a total of nineteen
general medical practitioners. Due to the acute shortage of health visitors
during 1970, there has been no extension of this scheme.
A group adviser health visitor continued to work in close liaison with
geriatricians at both St. Michael's and North Middlesex Hospitals, so that
community services needed by the aged on discharge are arranged and
follow-up visits made by health visitors.
Relaxation and
Mothercraft
Relaxation and mothercraft courses for expectant mothers were held at
clinics throughout the borough and continued to be popular. A course
usually consists of six weekly sessions and during the year 667 women made
3,597 attendances at the 489 sessions held.
The film, "To Janet — a Son ?" is seen regularly each month by groups of
parents-to-be.
Ancillary Help
State registered nurses not holding the health visitor's certificate continued
to be employed as clinic nurses; at 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 at
clinics.
We are fortunate to have about 120 voluntary workers to help us at the child
health clinics.
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