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20
At the beginning of the year thirty establishments were licensed. One
was licensed for the first time during the year ; two were discontinued so
the number at the end of the year was twenty-nine.
In addition, certificates were lodged by three members of the
Chartered Society of Physiotherapists.
NURSING, MIDWIFERY, ETC., IN THE HOME
General Nursing
The National Health Service Act made local health authorities
responsible for providing a home nursing service, either engaging their
own staff or using the services of existing district nursing associations
who had up to this done this work.
At the end of the year, there were some nineteen whole-time nurses
and seven part-time nurses who worked mostly in the mornings, an
equivalent of twenty-four whole-time staff. During the year they paid in
all 66,098 visits.
The service is essentially a day-time one. The general medical practitioners
get into touch with the nurses either directly or through the office.
The administration of the home nursing service is one of the functions
for which the local Area Committee is responsible. The superintendent of
the home nurses is Mrs. R. Bromley, who works at the Area Health Office
at "Kynaston Court."
Nursing Equipment. The County Council in exercising its powers to
make available nursing equipment on loan to patients being nursed at
home have used the services of the Middlesex Branch of the British Red
Cross Society. The Red Cross depot in this area is at 39 Sheepcote Road.
Midwifery and Maternity Nursing
The local midwifery service provided by the Harrow Council under
the Midwives Act, 1936, passed in 1948 into the hands of the Middlesex
County Council. This is one of the services administered locally by the
local Area Committee.
Most of the midwives live in their own homes and the districts which
they cover are as far as possible based on those points as centres. The
work of the midwives is co-ordinated by the non-medical supervisor or
midwives, Mrs. R. Bromley of 213 Exeter Road, South Harrow (Telephone
No. Pinner 5752).
Last year the midwives attended the confinements of 848 women in
their homes, (in 717 instances a doctor was present, in the other 131 not).