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Private day nurseries are increasing, often taking children for
the morning only; many children at 4 years to 4½ years are ready for
companionship and organised activities."
One health visitor continues to work with a general practitioner at
Clinics he holds in his surgery; from November 1962 her attendances have
increased from one to two sessions per month at his baby clinic and from
one to two sessions per month teaching mothercraft to expectant mothers.
This form of co-operation has been most satisfactory and similar facilities,
with due regard to the staffing position, could be made available to other
doctors, if they so request. In addition, general practitioners frequently
contact the health visitors regarding individual patients or families and,
similarly, the health visitors consult the doctors as necessary.
Co-operation and liaison between the health visitors and various
hospitals has continued during 1962. The health visitors attend in turn,
each for three months, at King George Hospital on Thursday afternoons to
be present at the ward round conducted by Dr. I. Anderson, Consultant
Paediatrician, and, following this, at his paediatric clinic; this contact
enables them to keep up with modern trends of treatment and much helpful
information is exchanged between the Public Health Department and the
Hospital. In order to establish early contact with mothers confined in the
Ilford Maternity Hospital each health visitor, where possible, visits the
Hospital to see the mothers from her own district before they are discharged;
she is then also able to discuss with the hospital staff any
special problems. The Superintendent Health Visitor has referred in her
report (ante) to the special arrangements made with Goodmayes Hospital.
Notifications are received from many hospitals of patients discharged
home following in-patient treatment and where necessary follow-up visits
are paid by the health visitors, mainly to children under the age of five
years but also to other groups where it is considered that assistance may
be required. When an urgent visit is required following discharge this is
usually requested by telephone before the patient leaves the hospital.
In furtherance of the policy of decentralising the health visitors to
bases as near as practicable to their districts and to relieve the overcrowding
at the Public Health Offices and at the Mayesbrook Clinic, the
Education Committee agreed, with the sanction of the Ministry of Education,
to the inclusion of an office for health visitors in the new Benton
School at Barley Lane. This will accommodate four health visitors and
it is anticipated it will be ready for occupation towards the end of 1963.
At the end of the year 1962 there were 18 full-time and 5 part-time
qualified health visitors and school nurses, in addition to the Superintendent
Health Visitor, and 6 clinic nurses.