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SECTION 24: HEALTH VISITING.
Staffing - The Joint establishment of 40 health visitors and school nurses (apportioned
as 22 to the Health Committee and 18 to the Education Committee) has never yet been
filled. All trained health visitors undertake duties in the School Health Service, as
well as in maternity and ohild welfare and more general public health work. There is
still a small number of school nurses who are not trained health visitors and are too near
retirement to take additional training. They work mainly in the School Health Service, but
sometimes take clinic duties at the Maternity and Child Welfare oentres.
At the rad of the year the health visiting and school nursing staff was as follows
(a) Superintendent Nursing Officer and Deputy Superintendent Nursing
Officer
(b) 26 health visitors employed on Joint Health Visiting/School)
Nursing duties) 34
(c) 8 school nurses employed solely on School Nursing duties)
(d) 1 health visitor employed by the South West Ham Health Society
(e) 3 health visitors (out of an establishment of 4) employed
on Tuberculosis work
Not included
in the establishment
of
40 health
visitors/school
nurses.
Five student health visitors completed their training under the Counoil's scheme,
and were appointed to vacancies on the establishment. They are under contract to give
the Council two years' service. At the end of the year there were three students in training,
but the department is finding it increasingly difficult to recruit suitable students.
Three health visitors resigned during the year. They had been in the department for:-
1 over 7 years (resigned to take Queen's District Nurse Training, and
then to Canada)
1 for 7 years (obtained an appointment in the Children's Department)
1 over 2 years - to Croydon as Health Visitor/School Nurse
One School Nurse retired (14 years servioe in 2 periods)
Out of our present 26 health visitors, 24 have been trained under the Council's
scheme.
9 have been with us less than 2 years and are still under contract.
8 " " " " 2 years
3 " " " " 3 years
4 " " " " 4 years
1 has been with us 5 years