London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Tottenham 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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The health visitor's function under the National Health Service Act is to give
advice as to the care of young children, persons suffering from illness, expectant and
nursing mothers, measures necessary to prevent illness and the spread of infection.
Illness includes mental illness and any injury or disability requiring medical or
dental treatment or nursing (Section 79). Since by this definition the health visitor
is required to give advice (and not treatment) she has become engaged in the promotion
of a healthy home background for an infinite number of families and persons whatever
their environment may be. Social problems of all kinds arise in the course of home
visiting and the health visitor is at the focal point to give advice and to guide the
necessitous to those services or agencies which can render immediate or suitable help.
The work of the health visitor was considerably extended by the Act to include
the care of the whole family. One tends to think of the family unit as father,
mother/ and children, but the health visitor is also called upon to visit persons
unattached to a family as far as housing is concerned. Many of such cases live alone
and are referred to the health visitor by hospital almoners family doctors and others.
The increase in the number of such referrals shows a greater awareness of the need to
provide adequate care in the home where the extrinsic patient becomes a member of the
community again and whose rehabilitation is often incomplete.
This mixture of advice on social and health matters given by the health visitor
cannot be separated in the field work of home visiting and is recognised by all who
seek her help.
The actual number of home visits made by health visitors this year was as shown in the following tables:-
| Number of visits paid by Health Visitors working in the Area | 1961 | 1960 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expectant Mothers | First Visits | 1796 | 2084 |
| Total Visits | 3120 | 3436 | |
| Children under 1 year of age | First Visits | 4737 | 4837 |
| Total Visits | 12997 | 15295 | |
| Children aged 1-2 years | Total Visits | 6704 | 7090 |
| Children aged 2-5 years | Total Visits | 10524 | 11526 |
| Other cases | Total Visits as Health Visitor | 6102 | 6219 |
| - | Total Visits as School Nurse | 978 | 776 |
Home visiting figures have dropped slightly this year. This is due to more time
being spent on individual visits, particularly those referred from outside the
department. Health visitors have also attended Claybury Hospital on Mental Health
courses in time which would otherwise have been devoted to health visiting.
Health Visitor's attendance at Hospital Paediatric Clinics
As in previous years, a health visitor has attended two paediatric clinics each
week at the Prince of Wales's General Hospital. Her function there is to be present
with the Consultant Paediatrician and to give him information as required of the home
conditions or past history of cases known to her. Where particulars are not known,