London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Richmond upon Thames 1971

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Richmond]

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Marie Curie Memorial Foundation.
Day and Night Nursing Service and Area Welfare Grant Scheme
The Borough continues to administer the Marie Curie scheme providing for the
urgent needs of cancer patients who are being nursed at home. Such assistance is given
only "in kind" and covers for a limited period, day and night nursing, special equipment,
linen and bedding, clothing, extra heating and nourishment. Thirty one patients received
help with night and/or day nursing on 101 occasions. Six patients received assistance
under the Area Welfare Grant Scheme.
District Nurse Training
Four district nurses received district training.
Fifty four student nurses and 28 pupil nurses from West Middlesex, Royal Richmond,
Barnes, Surbiton and The Middlesex Hospitals accompanied the district nurses
on domiciliary visits. This is part of the training programme and enables them to see at
first sight some of the services in the community. Eight student nurses from the Chiswick
Polytechnic undertaking the S.R.N. Integrated Training were assigned to district nurses
in the Borough, for varying periods, for district nursing observation and experience.
Health Visiting
Fifty-four students and ten pupil nurses from West Middlesex, Royal Richmond,
and The Middlesex Hospitals accompanied health visitors on domiciliary visits and/or
also attended the local health authority clinics.

Four students from Chiswick Polytechnic undertaking the integrated S .R.N./ D.N./H. V. Course were assigned to health visitors for one week's observation in practical health visiting.

Cases visited by health visitorsNumber of cases
1Total number of cases (families)10,277
2Children born in 19712,890
3Children born in 19702,431
4Children born in 1966-69 ...4,091
5Total number of children in lines 2 — 49,412
6Persons aged 65 or over1,603
7Number included in line 6 who were visited at the special request of a G.P. or hospital623
8Mentally disordered persons ...60
9Number included in line 8 who were visited at the special request of a G.P. or hospital26
10Persons, excluding maternity cases, discharged from hospital (other than mental hospitals)29
11Number included in line 10 who were visited at the special request of a G.P. or hospital14
12Number of tuberculous households visited ...1
13Number of households visited on account of other infectious diseases14
14Other cases611
15Number of tuberculous households visited by tuberculosis visitor127

Training and Refresher Courses
One health visitor attended a Field Work Instructor course, and four attended other
refresher and training courses.
Three sponsored student health visitors were placed with fieldwork instructors for
supervised practice during their last ten weeks of training.
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