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80
Nursing of Sick Children at Home
An analysis of work done for children at home showed that the
greatest part consisted of administering drugs (mainly penicillin),
very often in the early stages of illness. Relief of constipation
and the occasional nursing of measles or whooping cough form
the rest of the work. In the latter condition nurse is usually
called in because the mother has a large family or may for some
reason be unable to nurse the child satisfactorily. A good deal
of teaching of mothers is carried out for the application of
poultices and minor treatments.
Co-operation with Other Services
As before, the nurses have worked closely with general
practitioners, health visitors and home helps, and the exchange of
information between these bodies is very valuable to all concerned,
The British Red Cross Society and the Old People's Welfare
Committees have also given the service every assistance. The
Ambulance Service is always very ready to help and on two particular
occasions, when the nurse was in difficulty with heavy and
unconscious patients, they arrived within a few minutes of the
request to help carry one patient upstairs and one was lifted from
the floor. These two unusual requests were met unhesitatingly.
Transport
Lack of transport other than bicycles still causes much
delay. A puncture requires the whole of the nurse's work to be
re-arranged, A great deal of time is lost in travelling and much
% *
discomfort endured by the nurses in wet and cold weather.
Analysis and Table of Visits
Undoubtedly the Home Nursing Service is becoming an ever
increasingly important part of the National Health Service and the
expansion increases at a greater rate each year. In 1955 12,000
more visits were paid than in 1954,