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25
in addition to field work instruction and training given to student Health
Visitors from a variety of training schools. There is no doubt about the
fact that the Health Visitor's life is a full and interesting one.
Section 25—Home Nursing.
The home nursing staff, consisting of the 29 nurses, equivalent to 23
whole-time staff, completed another busy year carrying out 60,072 visits.
These nurses work under instruction from the general practitioners and
carry out general nursing duties with the acute and chronic sick in their
homes. The work of the nurses can be extremely varied as it covers all
age groups, from infancy to old age. Advice is sought on many problems
and, judging by the letters of appreciation received in the office, they
are providing a well worthwhile service to the community. Many of their
visits are for general care of the elderly and I am sure their visits in
support must be a great boon to the often very harassed relatives.
Four of the nurses attended the District Nurses Training Course at
Chiswick Polytechnic and all were successful in attaining the National
Certificate. The tutor's reports indicate that their standard of work was
of a high order.
Mention must be made of the willing aid the Department receives
from the St. John's Ambulance Brigade and the British Red Cross. Both
these organisations have taken over some routine home nursing duties in
certain cases. This is, of course, only arranged in consultation with the
general practitioner. In addition, the British Red Cross run the loan
of nursing equipment service on behalf of the County Council. This is
an extremely useful service and helps in the task of caring for patients
in their own homes. The Red Cross depot is at 39 Sheepcote Road,
Harrow—Telephone: Harrow 8788.
The Department acts as agent for the night nursing service provided
by the Marie Curie Foundation. This is made use of in terminal cases
of malignancy and has been instrumental in giving some degree of respite
to the relatives in these tragic and often prolonged nursing cases.
The home nursing of the incontinent patient always causes problems,
especially during the winter months, with its associated difficulties of
drying sheets, etc. With the assistance of the Edgware General Hospital,
it has been possible to set up a laundry service which has been a great
boon. In addition, the issue of incontinence pads has been greatly
increased. These pads help in this problem of laundering sheets but raise
other problems concerning their disposal. Burning is the obvious way
if facilities are available and, at the present moment, no great problem
seems to exist. However, with clean air zones now moving rapidly
forward, and the increase in the number of flats in the district without
the traditional type of kitchen stove, this method may soon have to be
reviewed. It may be that consideration will have to be given in the
future to instituting a special type of collection service for incineration
at a central point—in the meantime, in certain cases, the gas incinerators
installed at the various clinics in the district have been used in an
emergency.