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The availability of transport for our midwives has
been adequate, due in large measure to the excellent fleet
of cars handed over to the County Council in 1948 by the
Southgate Queens Nursing Association. . Communication by
telephone is provided in the homes of all those midwives
who are not resident at 'Osidge'.
9. HOME NURSING SERVICE.
In addition to the Superintendent of Home Nurses,
who is also Non-Medical Supervisor of Midwives, and the
Superintendent at 'Osidge', 21 whole-time and six parttime
Home Nurses were employed at the end of 1953.
Owing to the sharp rise in the demands on this service,
the approved establishment for- the Area was increased
during the year from 24 to 26.
During the year, our nurses paid a total of
77,335 visits to 3,140 cases. These cases were divided
as follows:
Medical 2,612
Surgical 301
Infectious diseases 45
Tuberculosis 112
Maternal complications 45
Others 25
The local arrangements for operating the Home
Nursing Service vary from district to district. In
Potters Bar, the Urban District Council has provided
a Council house, from which one full-time and one parttime
nurse operate. In Southgate, 'Osidge' is the
administrative centre for the service, although not
all the home nurses are resident there. In Wood Green,
a central office is provided in a room in the branch
Area Health Office. In Friern Barnet, a small headquarters
is housed in an ad hoc building in Wetherill Road.
These arrangements are not entirely satisfactory.
The room used by the nurses in Wood Green is inadequate,
since it is shared by two clerks and is not provided with
a running water supply. We have made representations
for the use of an extra room in this building.
Our administrative arrangements for the supply of a
Home Nurse following the request of a general practitioner
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