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During the year, four members of the staff left our service.
Fortunately, although Health Visitors are in very short supply, it
was possible to recruit three whole-time Health Visitors and one
part-time Health Visitor to take their places.
During the year, 1,318 visits were paid to expectant mothers;
20,872 to children under 5; 2,684 to school children, and 1,976 to
other cases, including old persons. In making these visits, approximately
15,500 households were visited.
Our Health Visitors, School Nurses and Health Assistants are
supervised by an Area Superintendent of Health Visitors and by a
Deputy Superintendent. Both ladies are under the immediate control
of the Senior Assistant Medical Officer.
In supplying the figures set out above, it is quite impossible
to present an adequate picture of the work of a Health Visitor.
The duties of the modern Health Visitor have been greatly extended
since the coming into force of the National Health Service
Act. Thus, their duties are no longer confined to the care of mothers
and children under the age of five; they are now expected to
undertake much wider duties, including the care of the aged and
close liaison with general practitioners working in the districts for
which they are responsible. The influence which Health Visitors
can bring to bear on mothers during visits to the home or during
talks at the clinic, is invaluable. Their work in regard to schools
and school children is of equal importance.
Our Health Visitors are allocated to main clinics, from which
they operate. They are thus enabled to get to know their district,
and to establish close and cordial relationship with the mothers
with whom they come into contact. In like way, each Health
Visitor is allocated several schools in the same district, so that their
work among children under five and school children can be closely
integrated and will follow on as a natural sequence. We encourage
Health Visitors to visit schools, to consult with Head Teachers,
and to be aware of problems as they arise.
We are fortunate in the fact that many of our Health Visitors
have worked in this Area for a number of years. We are thus able
to build on a solid foundation, which is of the very greatest help
to us in our work.
8. Midwifery Service
The number of births which occurred in Area No. 2 during
1953 was just over 2,000. Of these, approximately 80% took place
in hospitals and nursing homes; the remainder were domiciliary
cases. Almost all the domiciliary cases were attended by our own
midwives, 242 in the capacity of midwife, 153 as maternity nurse.
In attending these cases, more than 7,000 visits were made, an
average of approximately 18 visits per case. In addition, a percentage
of the children born in hospitals and nursing homes were
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