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HEALTH VISITING
The health visitor is the most important social worker for the care of expectant and nursing
mothers and young children. Under the National Health Service Act 1946, her work has been extended
to the whole family for their health education, and the prevention, care and after care of illness.
Health visitors attend with the assistant medical officers at maternity and child welfare clinics, and
at schools for medical inspections and routine hygiene inspections. They make enquiries for the special
national surveys and help in the practical training of hospital student nurses and student health visitors from
Middlesex, Battersea Polytechnic and the Royal College of Nursing. (Table 1.)
The health visitors work in close co-operation with general practitioners, staffs of hospitals,
children's officers, welfare officers, sanitary inspectors and other social workers. There has been closer
co-operation with general practitioners since a document "The General Practitioner and the Health Visitor",
was issued by the British Medical Association and The Society of Medical Officers of Health in January,
1954. General practitioners were informed of how health visitors could help them, and meetings were held
to discuss suggestions outlined in the document.
From June 24th, 1954, to 31st December, 1954, 17 general practitioners referred 28 families to
health visitors for special reports and action. (Table2.)
There is still a general shortage of health visitors. The establishment of health visitors for the
Willesden part of the area is 30, but there were only an equivalent of 147/11 at the end of the year. To
assist health visitors in their work temporary clinic nurses have been employed. They help at the clinic
sessions and visit schools for medical inspections and routine hygiene inspections. An equivalent of
112/11 temporary clinic nurses were employed at the end of the year, making a total of 25 9/11 health
visitors and clinic nurses.