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83
Health Visiting— Investigations.— An increasing amount of the
time of health visiting staff has been given to " follow up " in connection
with investigations. These have included the Medical
Research Council's B.C.G. Trials, Prematurity, Virus Diseases
during Pregnancy, the Population Investigation of the Royal College
of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Institute of Child Health
(University of London), and lastly, Breast Feeding.
Liaison with Hospital Services.—Health visitors and school
nurses, as well as medical staff, continued to attend ward rounds of
Dr. Hinden, Paediatrician, Whipps Cross Hospital, who holds a
fortnightly session at the Town Hall Clinic.
The Health Visitor and the General Practitioner.—In June an
invitation was addressed to all Medical Practitioners practising in
the Borough to attend a meeting at the Town Hall in order to meet
the Health Visitors and the Medical Staff of the Department. The
invitation was accompanied by a list of suggestions indicating ways
in which the Health Visitor might help the family doctor. An
interesting meeting resulted and nineteen family doctors attended.
General.—The Superintendent Health Visitor, Mrs. J. Foulkes,
S.R.N., S.C.M., H.V.Cert., reports the following :—
" The year has been a busy one for the Health Visitors. The
welfare of the Old People now plays an ever increasing part in
their work and the number of visits is much greater this year.
During 1954 the Health Visitors paid 554 visits to Aged and
Chronic Sick persons compared with 224 visits in 1953.
" Considering the present scarcity of Health Visitors, we are
very fortunate in Walthamstow in being only one Health Visitor
short of our establishment, which reflects favourably on local
conditions."
HOME NURSING
(Section 25)
Queen's Training.—Three nurses passed their Queen's examination
and three more were due to sit the examination at the end
of the year. Theoretical work was carried out at the Lady Rayleigh
Home, Leytonstone, and practical work at " Carisbrooke."
General.—The Superintendent of the District Nurses' Home,
Miss E. G. Welbrock, S.R.N., S.C.M., M.T.D., reports as follows :—
The number of visits to patients increased.
For seven months of the year we lived at Highams Park
during the time when alterations were being carried out at
Carisbrooke ", but we were all very happy to return to our own
home in time for Christmas.