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PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
The personal health services have continued their gradual
expansion throughout 1972 despite-very little increase in establishment
The staff remaining with the Health Department have
all made an extra effort as it has become increasingly difficult
to recruit newstaffwith the uncertainty of impending change with
the Re-organisation of the National Health Service in 1974
The greatest expansion has taken place in the field of
family planning and cytology with the introduction of the service
at more clinics and increased training of doctors and nurses in
order to staff these clinics
Another new development in 1972 was the establishment of
a community psychiatric nursing service initially with two
members of staff working in extremely close liaison with the
local mental hospitals following up in theirownhomesandassisting
in the maintenance of medication of patients once discharged
from hospital This service is a development which goes in
some way to meet a long felt need with the increasing emphasis
on community care of mental illness
In 1972 the development of the Community Nursing Service
continued in spite of the shortage of staff The Mayston structure
of management allowed communication within the section to run
smoothly and enabled staff at all levels to participate in the
formation of policy by discussion groups and staff meetings
Liaison between the Local Authority services and the other
branches of the National Health Service has continued through
1972 in the various ways mentioned in last year's report A
noteable contribution to this co-operation was made by a magnificent
displaydemonstrating community nursing services arranged
by some of the staff on the occasion of the Romford Group
Hospitals Open Day This closer liaison with hospitals has
resulted in improved communication between ward sisters and
the domiciliary nurses Exchange visits between ward sisters
coming out into the community to spend a day with the district
nurses and health visitors, and the district nurses spending a
day in the hospital has resulted in a better understanding of the
respective roles It is felt that this will have a beneficial effect
on the service as a whole
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