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Attachment of Health Visitors to General Practitioners
In 1965 arrangements were made for a health visitor to
be attached to a group practice. The attachment began in January
1966 and has proved very successful The doctors and health visitor
meet at least three times a week and are able to exchange information
to their mutual advantage, e.g„ on problems relating to school
children. The health visitor attends the "well baby" clinic run
by the practice and these are popular and well attended. The health
visitor has been of great value to the practice in visiting the elderly
and resolving their problems, as this service had cost the doctors a
considerable amount of time in the past. It is hoped to introduce
geriatric screening clinics and other specialised clinics, but this
would increase the demand on the time of the health visitor and might
call into question the possibility of her continuing responsibility
for a geographical area in addition to her work with the group practice.
The extent of the geographical area has already been reduced because
of the increased work arising from the attachment arrangements.
Later in the year a second attachment was made with another
practice in the borough. In this case the health visitor has twice
weekly consultations with the doctor, and visits the under fives in
his practice as well as a very large number of elderly patients.
Arrangements were made in congunction with this general practitioner
for the borough's first health clinic for the elderly to be opened
at Acre Road Clinic in January 1967.
In addition to the above arrangements, two other health
visitors have had regular fortnightly consultations with particular
general practitioners.
Health Visitors Training
During the year two students completed their training under
the course organised by Surrey County Council, and took up duties as
health visitors in the Borough Council's service. Two further students
sponsored by the Borough Council commenced training in September, one
in Surrey and the other at Chiswick Polytechnic.
The Council for the Training of Health Visitors has increased
the course of training from nine months to twelve months, with effect
from September 1966.