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The number of "special visits" has doubled since last year, the increase being
mainly of visits to old people.
Refresher Courses .
No health visitor was recommended for a general refresher course this year, but
2 of the more senior health visitors attended a two weeks course run by the Department
of Education of the Deaf at Manchester University. They both enjoyed and benefited
greatly from this course and received certificates stating (a) that they are now capable
of satisfactorily carrying out screening tests for the ascertainment of hearing defects
in young children and (b) that they had satisfactorily completed attendance at a course
of instruction in diagnostic tests of the hearing of young children, and principles and
methods of guiding parents of deaf children of pre-school age in order to give them
home training. Their work was commented on very favourably by the organisers of the
course and, indeed, it has proved invaluable in the new Audiology Unit.
Extension of Health Visitors Duties.
In spite of temporary shortages of staff and the necessary maintenance of established
duties, steady progress has been made in the extension of the health visitor's
field of work, particularly in relation to old people and in mental health. In January,
one of the senior health visitors, who had shown a special interest in the aged, commenced
regular visits twice weekly to the Geriatric Unit of Langthorne Hospital, where the
senior medical officer was able to discuss with her the home conditions of patients who
were ready for discharge. It is this health visitor's responsibility to contact the
general practitioner and to see that all necessary services are laid on when the patient
comes home. When she is satisfied that these services are functioning efficiently, she
is able to hand over the supervision of the old person to her colleague, the district
health visitor. The geriatric liaison health visitor, as she is called, remains
available for consultation by her colleagues and has free access to the hospital consultant
should his advice be needed. She is also able, on some occasions, to accompany the
consultant on his domiciliary visits to old people who are awaiting admission to hospital,
who have spent some time in hospital. This work is increasing and unless the geriatric health
visitor is to become a specialist and give up her district, it will probably be necessary for
her to share her work with one or more of her colleagues. The district health visitors are
gradually building up a case load of old people whom they visit as frequently as circumstances
indicate. In the field of mental health, there has been increasing co-operation between the
Psychiatric social worker and the individual health visitors, and a number of case conferences
have been held, on families in which the emotional factor, or mental illness has had serious
effects on the children, or threatened the stability of the family. This is a good beginning,
but there is great scope for future developments in this field, and for in-service training.
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