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39
invited to speak and it was evident that the consumer benefited from
group attachment.
Following this session many general practitioner partnerships
invited the Medical Officer of Health, the Superintendent Health Visitor
and Supervisor of Midwives and District Nurses to their surgeries to
discuss the attachment of the local authority nursing staff to their
practices.
Case Finding
It was agreed that the health visitors would attempt to identify
and visit, as far as possible, people amongst the practice population who
came into the following categories:
1. Elderly persons unknown to the doctors or not visited
by them for some time.
2. Patients put on the waiting list for hospital admission.
3. Patients on discharge from hospital.
4. The mentally and physically handicapped.
5. Ante-natal patients.
6. Families with a child or children under five years of age.
7. Families in which there was recent bereavement.
8. Families in which the bread winner was unemployed or had
a long illness.
9. Households where home accidents necessitating medical
care had occurred.
Full attachment was achieved in September 1971 and this has
meant many changes in the work of the health visitors. Their work has
become much more varied. Whereas their previous field of work had been
in dealing mainly with the ante-natal period, children and the elderly,
they are now visiting all age groups. The main disadvantages have been
that the health visitors have less local knowledge and their travelling
time has been increased, but total patient care has improved because of
mutual understanding and improved communications between the general
practitioner and the community nursing team.