View report page

15
Seven part-time bathing attendants are employed. They work under the close supervision of the
trained nurses, and attend the elderly and infirm patients who require semi-nursing care over a long period,
thus allowing the trained nurses to give more time to the acutely ill and surgical patients.
Two thousand, five hundred and seventy new patients were referred during the year, and the nurses
paid a total of 116,951 visits to all patients. Six thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine visits were paid by
bathing attendants. At the end of the year, 1,316 cases were on the register.
General Practitioner Attachments
One new attachment was started during the year, making a total of 17 operating in the Borough.
The scheme works well to the satisfaction of the doctors and nurses, resulting in better community care for
the patients. One thousand six hundred and thirty-six treatments were given in general practitioners' surgeries
under the group attachment schemes.
Training and Refresher Courses
Five nurses attended the District Nurse Training Course at Chiswick Polytechnic. Four were successfull
and obtained the National Certificate of the Department of Health and Social Security.
One State Enrolled Nurse attended Chiswick Polytechnic for the special course in District Nurse
Training for State Enrolled Nurses working in the District.
Four nurses attended refresher courses to comply with the Department of Health and Social
Security's recommendation that all home nurses should attend such courses every 5 years.
Disposable Equipment
The use of pre-sterilised and disposable equipment, which materially improves efficiency and safety,
continued.
Marie Curie Memorial Foundation
Help is given by this Foundation to terminal cases of carcinoma nursed at home. Night nurses were
provided for 32 patients during the year, thus enabling relatives to have some rest during the most difficult
and trying periods. Three patients were provided with the loan of ripple beds (alternating pressure beds) by a
medical equipment firm on behalf of the Foundation.
INCONTINENCE PADS
Incontinence pads are provided by the Council free of charge to all incontinent patients who require
them, whether or not there is a home nurse in attendance. Requests for pads are received from general
practitioners, hospitals, social workers and others. Ninety-seven thousand, two hundred pads were issued in
1970.
When patients have difficulty in disposing of soiled pads in their homes, the Council arranges for
them to be collected and disposed of by incineration at the Greater London Council refuse disposal plant at
Alperton.
VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION
Vaccination and immunisation of children against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis,
smallpox and measles was undertaken by Assistant Medical Officers at the Council's clinic and by General
Practitioners, as set out in the following programme:—
During the first year of life Diphtheria/tetanus/whooping cough and oral
poliomyelitis vaccine (first dose)
Diphtheria/tetanus/whooping cough and oral
poliomyelitis vaccine (second dose)
Diphtheria/tetanus/whooping cough and oral
poliomyelitis vaccine (third dose)
During the second year of life Measles vaccination
Smallpox vaccination
At five years of age or school entry *Diphtheria/tetanus and oral poliomyelitis vaccine or
*Diphtheria / tetanus/poliomyelitis vaccine
Smallpox re-vaccination
*re-inforcing immunisation
Under the above programme the numbers of children receiving immunisation and vaccination were
as follows:—
Smallpox Primary vaccination 3,088 (2,944)
Re-vaccination 610 (512)
Diphtheria/tetanus/whooping cough Primary immunisation 4,809 (3,896)
Re-inforcing 3,552 (1,991)
Poliomyelitis Primary immunisation 4,879 (4,325)
Re-inforcing 3,309 (3,345)
Measles Primary vaccination 3,146 (2,374)
(Figures for 1969 in brackets)