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District Nurse Assistants
Home nursing duties centre more and more around the elderly sick or handicapped
persons. Skilled nursing is not required in the majority of these cases. District Nurse
Assistants have been added to the establishment, helping the district nurses with baths,
dressing patients, etc. They have relieved some of the trained staff to devote more
time to the very ill, and for rehabilitation of patients where this is possible.
Marie Curie Memorial Foundation. Area Welfare Grant Scheme
The Borough continues to participate in the Area Welfare Grant Scheme provid'
ing for the urgent needs of cancer patients who are being nursed at home. Such
assistance is only given "in kind" and covers for a limited period, day and night nursing,
special equipment, linen and bedding, clothing, extra heating and nourishment. Twenty
nine patients received help with night and/or day nursing on 117 occasions.
HEALTH VISITING
Staff
1 Chief Nursing Officer.
1 Superintendent Health Visitor.
24 Health Visitors (includes 2 Field Work Instructors, 1 Group Adviser).
5 (2.5)* Part-time Health Visitors.
10 (4.0)* Part-time Clinic Nurses.
1 Health Assistant.
1 Tuberculosis Health Visitor.
2 Student Health Visitors.
* equivalent whole time.
Health Visitor Group Adviser
The year 1967 saw one new project initiated in the Health Visiting Service by
the appointment of a Health Visitor (Group Adviser) with special responsibility for
Health Education.
The work involves the planning and preparation of material for use as visual aids.
This material is available tq anyone in the department who is called on to talk to any
groups in the Community. It also entails keeping up-to-date with all available film
strips, posters, literature and equipment in the field of health education. As well as
giving talks herself and making contact with schools and other organisations to inform
them of the help that we can give in this work, this officer is available to advise the
health visitors on talks or courses which they are called on to undertake. (See page 37
—Health Education).
Training and Refresher Courses
Health visitors attended routine refresher courses; the summer school for the
Central Council of Health Education; a course for Field Work Instructors; a course
for hearing tests for young children and seven attended a course on Psychoprophylaxis.
This method of preparation for confinement is now offered at all Ante-Natal clinics
and midwives and health visitors are given an opportunity to take the necessary
instruction.
Family Doctors and Local Authority Nursing Staff
The London Boroughs Committee on 21st March, 1966 commended to constituent
councils the attachment of health visitors to general medical practitioners as approved
by the Inner London Executive Council. Arrangements similar to those envisaged were
already in existence in this Borough.
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