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Training Scheme
Throughout the year students of various types spend time training in the community. Below
are listed the numbers of students who came to the Borough during 1972:
Student nurses—observation visits125
Student nurses from psychiatric unit, two weeks course 6
Student nurses from mental subnormality unit, four weeks course 4
Pupil midwives, three months course 26
Obstetric nurse students—observation visits 27
Midwife Teacher's Diploma students, one week 2
Programmes have also been arranged for nursing officers from other Boroughs and for hospital
nursing officers and tutors—a total of fifteen in all.
We also arranged a week's course for two Swedish nurses and one Greek nurse who were on
scholarship study tours.
The total number of students and visitors during 1972 was therefore 208. This figure does not
include health visitor students and student nurses taking integrated courses. In addition 47 talks
and discussions were given by nursing officers to student nurses as part of their training programme.
This participation in training throws a considerable burden on the shoulders of the community
staff. Although it is recognised that such training is very necessary, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile
training and service needs, and the prospect of increased training responsibilities in the community
is worrying. Community care training for student nurses will commence in 1973, and further
community training is envisaged in the working party on nursing ("Briggs Report") published late
in 1972.
In-service training for members of the community nursing staff includes monthly lecture
sessions, and special courses in vision and hearing testing and ante-natal psychoprophylaxis
instruction. Use is also made of "outside" courses and all the senior nursing officers attended management
courses during the year at various centres.
Because training and liaison schemes have grown so rapidly and need considerable organisation,
a new senior nursing officer was appointed during the year to deal specifically with these
fields of work. She is also in charge of the night nursing service.
We are most grateful to all those officers in other departments who have so willingly assisted
with student training.
DENTAL SERVICE (MATERNITY AND CHILD HEALTH)
Mrs. B. Fox, B.D.S.—Chief Dental Officer
The number of pre-school children examined has continued to rise this year. This is due to the
continued efforts made by all dental officers actively to seek out the younger brothers and sisters
of attending school children. Posters advising mothers that the first dental examination should be at
three years old have been placed in clinic waiting rooms. These have resulted in an increased number
of requests for appointments, indicating that many mothers either needed reminding to make an
appointment or were unaware of the desirability of early examination.
The statistics (see page 124) show an increase in the proportion of pre-school children receiving
treatment compared to previous years. This reflects an increase in the amount of preventive dentistry
which the service is undertaking and does not necessarily indicate a worsening of the dental
health of pre-school children. Treatment may be simply polishing the teeth with a fluoride enriched
polishing paste but may also include application of fluoride gels to the teeth, or even diagnostic
radiographs.
We rarely find children, even very young children, without a toothbrush but they cannot usually
use them effectively. Many mothers are anxious to learn how they should teach a child to brush their
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