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33
SECTION 25 - HOME NURSING SERVICE
As mentioned in my report for 1959 the administrative headquarters for this service were transferred
in April 1959 from their 'Home' in Shrewsbury Road (which was demolished under a housing scheme)
to offices in the Town Hall Annexe.
Necessarily all the District Nurses live in their own homes and are supplied with telephones.
It is difficult to maintain a full establishment of nurses for a variety of reasons, ranking high
among the latter, are the refusal to make cars available or give car allowances, and to link the posts to
residential accommodation provided by the employing Authority.
With the rise in numbers of old persons in our borough this service plays an increasing role in
the medico-social life of the community, and study of the statistical table reveals the large number of
'nursing visits' absorbed by about one-third of the cases during the years under review. It can be assumed
that most of these cases are old people.
The burgesses owe a great debt of gratitude to the dedicated nurses in this service, for without
them it is quite apparent the general practitioner domiciliary service would break down.
The district nurse is indeed the handmaiden of the family doctor and carries high the
"Nightingale" lamp in many a household darkened by sickness and despair.