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HEALTH VISITING (AND CLINIC NURSING)
A Health Visitor is a State Registered Nurse with midwifery
training who is selected for a one-year training course leading to
an examination and a Certificate of Health Visiting. The range
of her duties includes making a home visit to the mother of each
newly born child, with repeat visits as necessary; infant welfare
clinic and the school health service work; medico-social work for
the families in her community; home visiting of elderly and handicapped
persons; promotion of education and information on all
matters of health; home visits to cases of infectious disease; and
various other duties such as visiting and inspecting registered child
minders in her area. Her health education work includes lecturing
or leading discussions in schools (at the request of Head Teachers),
at ante-natal clinics or mother and baby clubs, and at meetings of
voluntary organisations.
In 1965 the Borough was staffed with the equivalent of 33
full-time Health Visitors (including five visitors dealing entirely
with persons suffering from tuberculosis), against an establishment
of 58. This shortage follows national tendencies and it must be
accepted that such highly trained workers are likely to be always
in short supply. To remedy this situation as far as possible, 12
Clinic Nurses (with S.R.N, qualifications) were employed to undertake
clinic and school health work not requiring the Health Visitor's
special skills, and each clinic was provided with a full-time
Clinic Clerk, to undertake routine administration and to provide
clerical assistance.
Further staff changes during the year included the appointment
of two Health Visitors as Group Advisors, responsible for the work
of all the Health Visitors in an area, and another two Health Visitors
as Field Work Instructors, selected to undertake the field training
of student visitors. One of the Field Work Instructors also
lectured on public health nursing services to student nurses at Oldchurch
Hospital. One student from the Borough began her training
at the South East Essex College of Technology in September 1965
and six students came into the Borough for the practical work part
of their studies.
Table 2 shows the size of one aspect of Health Visitor's duties.
MIDWIFERY
A midwife works in close liaison with the family doctor and
her duties include the ante-natal care of those patients suitable for
home delivery, care at the confinement, and post-natal visiting up
to the tenth day following delivery, when she hands over responsibility
for assisting the mother and newly born child to the health
visitor.
The importance in all pregnancies of full and early ante-natal
care must again be emphasised. Sometimes mothers of large
families are reluctant to have a delivery in hospital, and the midwife
and family doctor on occasion need to spend some time in
persuading them to accept a hospital confinement. These deliveries
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