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Problem families
There is a small proportion of families which
make exceptional demands on the resources
of the department because of the multiplicity
of their presenting problems A central file
containing all known information about such
families is maintained in order to provide
easier communication and liaison with
members of the children's department and
voluntary agencies such as the N S P C C
who are often also involved with these families.
As a matter of routine health visitors
now bring forward families about whom they
are especially concerned and these ere
discussed in detail with the principal nursing
officer All staff are well aware of the
desirability of prevention rather than cure
but where primary prevention has been
impossible the new procedure aims at
(a) Identifying needs and difficulties and then
considering them in the context of the
whole family.
(b) Effective use and organisation of
resources.
(c) Early referral where necessary to other
departments or agencies.
(d) Adequate support to the worker most
closely involved and improved communications
between all the agencies concerned.
Health Education
As anticipated many requests were received
for talks on matters of health education to be
given to various groups and organisations
These were met by the professional staff who
gave lectures on smoking and health cervical
cytology, the care of the elderly, dental
caries cancer preparation for retirement and
the function of the council's new health
centres in the community The talks were
often illustrated by films, film strips and
visual aids They were well received and an
increased demand for this personal dissemination
of information on health matters is being
maintained
A further two mothers clubs were started
during the year and with those already
established gave mothers the opportunity of
meeting and making friends The clubs also
afforded an opportunity for the professional
staff to teach the mothers parentcraft and
instruct them in other aspects of health
education.
The medical officer responsible for the
student health service met several enquiries
from lecturers at the two polytechnics in the
borough for information and advice on the
occupational health aspect of the subjects they
taught. These included dermatitis caused by
chemicals, skin cancer caused by continuous
contact with cutting oil and hazards of
inhalation of hair lacquer by hairdressers.
The addition to the departmental establishment
of a staff/student health nurse in July
made it possible to increase the health
counselling facilities already available to
students.
Talks on the social mental and physical
problems of adolescence were given to parents
of students and several parents asked for
individual consultations regarding the health
of their teenage sons and daughters who were
attending college.
Students from colleges within the borough
others of various disciplines as well as groups
or school girls were shown around the health
centres clinics and other departmental establishments
and were given short talks on various
health subjects by members of the staff.
The employment of a full time technical
officer to service equipment and project films
and the purchase of the more popular 16 mm
film projector has been of enormous support
to the professional staff Selected members of
the health visiting staff have been trained in
the use of an increasing variety of projectors
being used in the department for health
education purposes.
Posters concerned with health subjects were
regularly displayed in schools health centres
clinics and factories as well as on public
notice boards About 19,000 pamphlets covering
a wide variety of health topics were also
distributed throughout the borough. Topical
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