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Co-operation with family doctors
Midwives are increasingly assisting at antenatal
clinics within family doctor surgeries.
Emergency obstetric units
Units are situated at Hillingdon and West
Middlesex Hospitals but the services were
not required during 1969
Analgesic apparatus
Twelve Entonox analgesic machines were in
use throughout the borough
Maternity medical services co-operation card
This record is to ensure that members of the
obstetric team are aware of the continued
care given to the client Full use of this
means of communication is developing
Health Visiting
The health visitor is a practitioner in her own
right detecting cases of need on her own
initiative as well as acting upon referrals
She has skills and knowledge particular to her
work and these are drawn from her nursing
background and the additional preparation in
her health visitors course Much of her work
is undertaken in the home situation Her
immediate colleagues are midwives district
nurses family and clinic doctors home helps
and colleagues in the social work field and
voluntary organisations A health visitor is
a kev member within the community where her
aim is to promote and maintain health She
is primarily concerned with advising those in
need health teaching and counselling all
members of the family supporting in situations
of stress and giving advice and guidance in
health and management training The health
visitor is ablv assisted by state registered
nurses in schools and clinics
The immigrant population in Hounslow
continues to increase mainly with people
from India Pakistan Kenya and the West
Indies The health visitor along with other
community nursing personnel adapt their
ability to communicate and teach using the
30
able assistance when necessary of the inter
preter
During the year 12 5% of the staff have been
attached to general practices
Staff
The establishment was strengthened during the
summer by the appointment of the deputy
principal nursing officer for health visiting and
by one additional group adviser They have
proved invaluable members of staff and added
support to the administrative structure The
establishment of 50 health visitors includes
three group advisers 7 field work instructors
9 school/clinic nurses 2 tuberculosis nurses
and 4 students
Training
Seven student health visitors successfully gained
their certificate four health visitors completed
the field work instructors course at Chiswick
Polytechnic and Birkbeck College and three
health visitors obtained their field work instructor
certificates Twelve health visitors attended
the in service 2 day training in preparation for
child birth Two group advisers enjoyed a week s
training in the registration of child minders Two
health visitors attended a 2 day genetic counselling
course and two attended a study day The
principal nursing officer attended a management
appreciation course and enjoyed the Health
Visitors Association Annual Conference Visits
of observation were made by health visitors and
midwives to the paediatric department Fulham
Hospital for a period of one week and visits of
observation were commenced at Queen Charlotte s
Hospital by health visitors and midwives
Dr Peter Draper of the Department of Social
Medicine Guys Hospital Miss Lisbeth Hockey
of the Queens Institute of District Nursing and
Miss G Padfield of the Royal College of Nursing
gave lectures on different aspects relating to
general practitioner attachment schemes A series
of lectures were given on mental health in
relation to community care by Dr C F Herridge
Films were shown by kind permission of various
firms throughout the year and the chief nursing
officer had the privilege of attending the Royal
Society of Health annual conference in Eastbourne
and attended a 2 day course in Cheltenham for