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Thorpe Coombe Maternity Hospital
The health visitors continue to attend the admission clinic regularly. The advantages
to the mother and hospital are great. The mother is less apprehensive, she has a chance to
discuss some of her problems in private with the health visitor and the medical and nursing
staff may be saved time if the health visitor can sort out a problem before the actual examination
or admission.
The mother who is worried about the care of her other children whilst she is being
delivered in hospital may often refuse admission because of this worry and the health visitor
will be able to help her so that she may be able to cope with the many problems of family life.
It was felt that many young mothers were discharged from hospital and as their own mothers
or relatives were not living nearby they found it extremely difficult to cope. It was therefore
decided to hold group discussions in the hospital with the mothers a day before discharge
from hospital. This group is attended by the sister from the hospital and a health visitor.
The mothers have an opportunity-to discuss their individual problems and advice can be
given on how to handle the baby and infant feeding. It is in this informal atmosphere that the
health visitor can help the mother overcome many anxieties that she may have about her
inability to cope with a young baby on her return home.
We continue to hold three monthly meetings between hospital, midwifery and health
visiting staff, which are very successful in discussing mutual problems, to undertake in
service training and thus to bridge the gap between hospital and community services.
Child Development Sessions
Eleven sessions are being run weekly in Health Centres and Maternity and Child
Welfare Clinics, for children who are referred by doctors, psychiatrists or health visitors.
The majority of the children admitted are in the age group between three and five years and
suffer from the following defects:-
1. Speech difficulties
2. Hearing defects
3. Asthma and bronchitis
4. Vision defect - Glaucoma
5. Mentally retarded - some are admitted before attending Grosvenor House
School
6. Mongols
7. Clumsy child syndrome - poor muscular co-ordination and speech difficulties -?
brain injury
8. Hare lip - cleft palate
9. Autistics
10. Hemiplegia
I i. Diabetes
12. Mother had rubella during pregnancy. Child has congenital heart defect,
cataract, delayed speech and needs hearing aid
13. Spina Bifida
We would like to expand the sessions in the following year. The clinic doctor, health
visitors and nursery nurses caring for the children meet regularly with the psychiatrist to
discuss the children's progress and problems.
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