View report page

day, enables a large number of patients to be satisfactorily
nursed at home, thus obviating the need for hospital care in many
instances, particularly amongst the elderly. On a national
basis , the cost of providing the home nursing service by local
authorities must be far less than would be the additional costs
of inpatient treatment which hospital authorities would incur but
for the work of the District Nurses. The effectiveness of the
service is well appreciated by those concerned with its administration
and, of course, by the patients themselves who know
that the District Nurses will continue to visit and treat them
regardless of adverse weather conditions or any other difficulties
which may arise.
In April 1969, two nursing auxiliaries (one male and one
female) were appointed, whose duties are to undertake the bathing
of patients in their homes, thus relieving the District Nurses of
this duty and leaving them more time to undertake nursing work.
Close co-operation is maintained between the District Nurses
and the General Medical Practitioners and four District Nurses
are fully attached to General Practice Groups.
The number of patients nursed and the total number of
visits paid continues to rise, as shown in the following table:—

It has long been the objective to have a whole nursing
service staffed entirely by nurses holding the National Certificate
in District Nurse Training. Many of the District Nurses already
hold this Certificate and during the year five more nurses
completed training and gained their Certificates. This is
additional to the refresher courses which all District Nurses
attend every five years.
35