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18
HOME NURSING
The Area Health Office is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Home Nursing Service
in Willesden. The nurses are non-resident and receive many applications from hospitals and general practitioners
by telephone in their own homes.
The Middlesex County Council runs a district nurse training home at 17 and 19 Park Avenue, Willesden.
The candidates assist the home nurses in Willesden and gain experience in home nursing; they
are included in the establishment of the home nurses, and some are recruited into the service when they have
finished their course.
Home nurses work in close co-operation with general practitioners, who make the majority of the
requests for home nursing care. They give various injections, general attention and care to medical and
surgical cases, and nursing care to the aged and infirm (Table 65).
The establishment of home nurses has been maintained throughout the year (Table 66).
SMALLPOX VACCINATION
Vaccinations are done by the staff at the health clinics, but most of them are carried out by general
practitioners. The number of children under 1 year of age vaccinated, represents 32.5% of the total live
births for the year (Table 67).
DIPHTHERIA IMMUNISATION
All children under one year old are offered protection against diphtheria, and private doctors and
assistant medical officers of health immunise them; the material for immunisation is supplied free of charge
by the Medical Research Council.
Children usually receive reinforcing doses just before they start school. Table 68 shows the total
number of children who have received protection against diphtheria during the last 15 years (1942-1956).
The estimated percentage of children who have received an injection during their school life is 77.6.
INOCULATION AGAINST POLIOMYELITIS
In January, 1956, the Minister of Health announced the discovery of a vaccine for protection against
paralytic poliomyelitis and decided that it should be given to children born between 1947-1954 inclusive.
Parents were asked to register their children for inoculation by 31st March, 1956, and parental consent was
received in respect of 23% of the total number eligible.
There was not enough vaccine in May and June to inoculate all these children, and the Minister
decided to limit vaccination to children born in November in each of the years 1951-1954 and in March in
each of the years 1951-1954, with August in each of the years 1947-1954 as a reserve group.
Less than 10% of all children registered were vaccinated from all of these groups (Table 69).
HOME HELPS (Tables 70 and 71)
Fewer new cases were helped during the year but there was little change in the total number still
receiving help at the end of the year, mainly because more old people were having home helps.
There was a further decrease in the number of T.B. cases helped, reflecting the general reduction
in incidence, and improved methods of treatment. 64 mothers applied for help for a home confinement but
only 45 actually received help; the remainder either made private arrangements or were admitted to hospital.
The rate of pay for the home help was increased to 3/1.5/8d. but there was no increase in the
maximum charge for the service (3/6d. per hour). Fewer home helps were employed at the end of 1956 as
compared with the end of 1955.
The total number of visits made in 1956 (3,856) was much less than in 1955 (5,803), mainly because
of the reduction in staff from three assistant organisers to two.
DAY NURSERIES
There are 9 day nurseries with a total of 440 approved places. (Table 72).
Rules of Admission
The main principle for admission to day nurseries is the health of mother and child. Children fron:
0 to 5 years of age are accepted under the following conditions:—
Their mothers are unsupported, they cannot look after their children adequately, or the home
conditions are unsatisfactory. In addition, there must be no other satisfactory way of caring for the
child, the child's health will not be affected, the mother will be assisted in the support of the child,
and she will work for at least 30 hours per week.
If there are still some vacancies, children over 2 years of age can be admitted where their parents
are willing to pay the full cost.
Application for Admission
Of the 531 applications for admission made during the year only 390 children were actually admitted;
the majority of the others found the assessment too high (Table 73). Over 98% of those on the register were
in the priority groups. 44% of children from homes where the mother was the sole support (Table 74).