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Arrangements are made for short-term holidays to relieve
families who are permanently caring for their elderly relatives.
(h) Care of the Handicapped
It frequently falls to the health visitor to recognise incipient
mental illness during her routine care of mothers and to maintain
support during periods of potential breakdown or during rehabilitation
after mental illness.
Her longstanding friendship with the family and training make
her an invaluable ally at this time. During the year a change
was made in the supervision of the mentally sub-normal, health
visitors relinquishing responsibility for the supervision of those
over the age of five years to mental welfare officers.
279 (259) mentally disordered patients were visited by health
visitors during 1966.
Where physical handicap occurs the health visitor has a
special responsibility to see that adequate treatment is obtained
and other advice and assistance is made available should it become
necessary. Intensive support may be necessary during the period
of adjustment and adaptation to every day living.,
(i) Care of School Children
Health visitors are appointed jointly under the National Health
Service Act for the care of mothers and young children and under
the Education Act for the care of school children. Continuity of
care is thus maintained and close contact is made with the school staffs.
This work is concerned not only with medical care and testing of
vision and hearing, but also with the personal hygiene and family
background of each child. Whendifficulties other than those of an
educational nature present themselves the school staff can consult the
health visitor and whenever necessary a home visit is made to assist
in the resolving of medical, emotional or environmental health
problems. They also undertake health education in schools and gave
71½ (50) teaching sessions during the period. All contacts with
pupils and teaching staff are utilised for this purpose whenever
opportunity arises. During the period 1st January to 31st December 1966
the health visitors were responsible for 207 (162) sessions in
school plus 56 (38½) sessions given to hygiene inspections.
Periodic medical inspections in secondary schools are now attended
by sessional school nurses who spent 136 (252½) sessions on school
medical inspections, and minor ailment clinics are held for school
children and attended by sessional school nurses where possible.
During the period 1st January to 31st December 1966, they attended
252½ (272½) sessions.
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