View report page

post. In order to give these Health Visitors the time tor supervision and
training of students, their normal family case load has been reduced to
300. In order that the Borough could undertake the training of Health
Visitors, two members of the staff, after completing the special training
course, were appointed as Field Work Instructors. A close liaison has
been established between the training college tutors, fieldwork instructors
and students.
A further new appointment for a Senior Health Visitor has been made
as a Group Advisor. This involved attending a four week instruction
course and then the assumption of a post where the duties are varied,
including instruction to student nurses in the work of the Health Department
and liaison with Hospital Tutors.
The Work of the Health Visitor
This grows in volume and variety each year, involving consultations
of an advisory nature in the clinics to the field work of home visiting the
whole range of age-groups from infancy to old age. Much has been said
recently about the need for social workers to deal with the variety of
problems which seem to beset families nowadays and many new certificate
and diploma courses have been inaugurated. One wonders if there is too
much theory about all this and whether the Health Visitor with her basic
health training, plus her general health visitor's course, and above all her
tremendous experience in field work, is not the person best equipped to
deal with the social problems of the day. Is there not a danger of having
too many "specialist" workers thus fragmenting the service?
Liaison Schemes with Hospitals
These schemes have been extended during 1965. A Health Visitor
has continued to attend the Paediatric Department at Edgware General
Hospital acting as a link between hospital and local authority services.
Information is passed to the district staff regarding any difficulties in the
progress and rehabilitation of patients. This interchange of useful clinical
and social information concerning the child patient has proved to be
extremely valuable.
A new liaison scheme with Kingsbury Maternity Hospital has started.
Here two Health Visitors attend the lectures given to nursing and medical
students by Dr. Jolly, Consultant Paediatrician. This again has proved to
be of mutual benefit to all concerned. The Health Visitors also attend the
"At Risk" clinic in the hospital and join in the ward teaching rounds.
These lectures and studies are most interesting and valuable. All Health
Visitors will be attending in time and a rota has been arranged for the
complete staff.
A third liaison scheme has been started in the care of the elderly,
between Roxbourne Hospital (Dr. Binks—Geriatrician) and a member of
the health visiting staff, who visits there every 14 days. Information is
31