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54
Co-operation continues to be maintained with the Ilford Home
Safety Committee and in 1958 health visitors visited 74 homes to give
help and advice after the patients returned from hospital as the result
of a home accident. Prevention from home accidents is foremost in
every health visitor's teaching and the requests for the loan of fire
guards by the Home Safety Committee quickly increased when the
mothers became aware of the service available.
We continue to take student nurses from King George Hospital
and Oldchurch Hospital; they usually spend a half-day with the health
visitor observing the work done in the public health field. Student
health visitors also continue to be trained in the Ilford area.
Considerable assistance has been given to physically handicapped
persons and we hope to extend our work amongst these people by
assisting with gadgets and various suggestions to make life easier for
them."
Under the Essex County Council's Training Scheme for Health Visitors,
in conjunction with the S.E. Essex Technical College, three trainees were
allocated to Ilford for practical instruction during 1958. One trainee,
on completing the course in 1958 and passing the examination for the Health
Visitors' Certificate of the Royal Institute of Public Health, was appointed
as Health Visitor and School Nurse here.
At the end of the year there were 17 full-time qualified Health Visitors
and School Nurses in addition to the Superintendent Health Visitor, and
5 Clinic Nurses.
The following is a summary of the home visits made by the Health
Visitors and Clinic Nurses during 1958 as far as Part III Services are
concerned :—
First visits to newly-born infants 2,230
Subsequent visits to children under 1 year of age 6,371
Subsequent visits to children over 1 year of age and under 5 13,882
Visits to expectant mothers 1,057
Home visits for other reasons 1,681
Total visits paid 25,221
In addition there were 6,092 visits paid where no reply was received.
The arrangements made in 1957 for the Health Visitor serving in the
area in which his practice is situated to assist at the baby clinic held by one
of the general practitioners once a month, have continued and have proved
most satisfactory.
With a view to increasing the degree of co-operation between the
Department and the Doctors, a meeting was arranged to take place on the
9th September, 1958, as in 1954, 1955 and 1957, but unfortunately it was
necessary for this to be cancelled as it was found that very few general
practitioners could attend. A meeting with a somewhat wider scope, at
which medical and nursing staff from the hospitals and the Health Areas
and also general practitioners from both Ilford and Barking attended, was,
however, held at the Chadwell Heath Hospital on the 27th January, 1959.
Day Nurseries.
(a) The hours of opening at the two Nurseries during 1958 continued
to be 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday only.
(b) The standard charge for accommodation at the Day Nurseries
was raised from 8/6 to 10/6 per child per day as from the 31st March, 1958.
Provision is made for this charge to be reduced according to scale when
the means of the parents do not justify the full fee.
Accommodation has continued to be made available to neighbouring
Areas for children who can more conveniently attend an Ilford Nursery
than one in their own Area.