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41
HEALTH VISITING
There is an establishment of twenty-nine health visitors, six
of whom have special responsibilities.
One is based at the Chest Clinic at Kingston Hospital and is
responsible for giving support and advice to patients with tuberculosis.
She traces all contacts and refers them for screening. She liaises
with other statutory and voluntary workers and attends B.C.&. vaccination
sessions.
Another health visitor, based at the Geriatric Unit at Tolworth
Hospital, works in co-operation with the consultant geriatrician,, She
visits the elderly in their homes in order to assess their suitability
for admission to the day centre or the hospital. She keeps in touch
with the relatives while the patient is in hospital and often supervises
the care of the patient after discharge.
Pour of the health visitors are field work instructors and as
such are responsible for the practical training of student health visitors.
Five student health visitors were trained in the borough during the year.
Group Attachment
During 1970 eight more health visitors were attached to group
practices. This is a formal arrangement in which a health visitor is
responsible for the patients on the lists of specified general practitioners
within the local authority boundary instead of having a
traditional geographical district.
One health visitor maintains, a liaison with a group practice,
which means that she is responsible for' a traditional geographical
district but at the same time has a formal arrangement with specified
general practitioners. If the patiants referred by the general
practitioner are not within her own district she passes on the reference
to the appropriate health visitor.
Altogether nine health visitors are now attached to group
practices and two health visitors are liaising with group practices.
Appointments have been made to meet four more group practices early in
January to discuss farther attachments.
The health visitors who have been attached to group practices
feel this has led to a closer liaison between themselves and the family
doctors and this in turn has led to tetter care for the patient. The