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Home Nursing Section 25
The home nursing service continues to be largely
concerned with the nursing of the chronic sick,
the physically handicapped and the elderly.
Wherever a further need exists to aid an
individual, nurses contact the appropriate general
practitioner, hospital and other social workers to
ensure that all necessary assistance for the health
and well-being of the patients is secured. Amongst
old people, in particular, there is still considerable
diffidence about making full use of the social
benefits or services. Visits made during 1967
totalled 91,113 to 2,605 patients. Of these 1,677
were aged 65 years or over, many of whom are
in the 80-90 years age group and are feeble and
slow if at all mobile and tend to take up much of
the nurse's time. Disposable items of equipment
are becoming more and more widely used, the
use of incontinence pads having proved a great
boon to the relatives of incontinent patients,
increasing the demand for such in 1967. Plastic
protective garments for mobile incontinent patients
have also proved highly useful and popular, and
the demand for these has also increased now that
public awareness of these facilities is more general.
Laundry Service
Incontinent patients who are infirm or where
washing facilities are poor and payment of laundry
charges cannot be afforded, are provided with a
free laundry service under Section 84 of the
Public Health Act, 1936. One local laundry has
continued the service for these patients and during
the year 36 cases were assisted in this way after
certificates had been issued as required by the Act.
Sheets were also loaned free of charge to a few
necessitous cases.
Staff
A full establishment of home nurses was
maintained and many enquiries received for
employment. Towards the close of the year the
attachment of home nurses to family doctors
working in the Heston and Spring Road health
centres was initiated and the services of a home
nurse will shortly become available to all general
practitioners within their daily surgeries as well as
in the homes of patients.
The Marie Curie day and night nursing service
proved very useful and was much appreciated by
18 patients and their relatives. Recruitment to this
service improved during the latter months of the
year.
Training
Two home nurses completed district training
courses and two others commenced a course later
in the year. Two male nurses attended a day
course of study and one nurse attended an
In Service Induction Refresher Course for Social
Workers. The students from the Middlesex
Hospital, Hounslow Hospital, West Middlesex
Hospital and Chiswick Polytechnic pre-nursing
courses all accompanied home nurses on nursing
rounds as part of their practical training. In
addition two students doing the new integrated
course of nursing worked for one month alongside
home nurses on their district as part of their
practical training.
Home Help Service Section 29
It is evident that the home help service is
becoming an integral part of the domiciliary team
and much attention has been given to methods of
expansion and improvement. On 31st December
the equivalent of 159 whole-time staff were
employed compared with 145 at the same time
last year.

Morning and Evening Service
This service is provided for the elderly and chronic
sick who live alone. It is also provided for families
where the mother is ill or in hospital and there
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