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18
work to be done in it, and about the equipment. Those in whose names
the premises are licensed have to comply with the bye-laws relating to
the conduct of these premises. Licences are issued for one year. Further
reports are received by the Committee when they are considering the
renewal of the licences.
It is the premises which are licensed. Anyone who carries on the
same treatment not at any premises but at the homes of patients, does not
need to be licensed. Although the Council has power to refuse to grant
or to renew a licence because the treatment might be administered by
any person who does not possess such treatment qualifications as may
be reasonably necessary, there is no power to specify minimum standards
of the qualifications of the practitioners.
At the end of the year there were in the district 25 premises licensed
as establishments for massage or special treatment. In addition, certificates
were lodged by registered members of the Chartered Society of
Physiotherapy in respect of six premises.
NURSING, MIDWIFERY, ETC., IN THE HOME
1. General Nursing.
From August, 1951, when the Bessborough Road Nurses' Home was
closed, the local home nursing service has been staffed partly by full-time
nurses living at the Nurses' Home in Uppingham Avenue, partly by some
whole-time nurses who live in their own homes and also by a number of
part-time nurses who work mostly in the mornings and who are based
on the home. The service is run under difficulties because of the inability
to recruit sufficient nurses. Except to meet the needs of that part of the
district served by nurses based on the Nurses' Home, the ideal is to have
a number of whole-time nurses living in their homes distributed evenly
throughout the area, each working the district immediately around her
home, relief being provided by neighbouring nurses. In such circumstances,
the medical practitioners would get directly into touch with the
nurses about the treatment they wished their patients to receive.
2. Midwifery and Maternity Nursing.
The County Council is responsible both for providing the staff of
midwives necessary to attend on women being delivered in their own
homes, and, as the local supervisory authority, for supervising all midwives
practising in the district.
The number of mothers confined in their own homes continues to
fall. This is partly because there are fewer confinements and partly
because a greater proportion of mothers are being delivered in hospitals.
Whereas, therefore, at one time a staff of 17 midwives was necessary,
there were at the end of last year only 13 Council midwives, a number
which nevertheless was sufficient to meet the demands made on them.
They attended, as midwives, 567 home confinements, and as maternity
nurses, 139. The midwives live in their own homes. Expectant mothers
get into touch with them either directly at their own homes or at the
ante-natal clinics which the midwives attend. The midwives work under