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 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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62
HEALTH VISITING SERVICE
(Sections 24 and 28)
The function of the health visitor is to promote good health, not only to individuals
in a family, but to all members of a family. She needs to be aware of the social,
environmental and psychological aspects as well as the physical. Because her work of
necessity brings her into contact with the whole range of Local Authority services and
other allied agencies, the health visitor is the liaison officer of the Local Authority.
General practitioners are becoming more aware of her professional training and avail
themselves of the support and help she can offer to their patients, either by her own
efforts or through liaison with other social agencies.
The actual number of visits made by the health visitors this year was as shown in the following tablet-
| Number of visits paid by Health Visitors working in the Area | 1962 | 1961 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expectant Mothers | First Visits | 1617 | 1796 |
| Total Visits | 2471 | 3120 | |
| Children under 1 year of age | First Visits | 5399 | 4737 |
| Total Visits | 13134 | 12997 | |
| Children aged 1-2 years | First Visits | 5707 | 6704 |
| Children aged 2-5 years | Total Visits | 8652 | 10524 |
| Other cases - Total Visits as Health Visitor | 6459 | 6102 | |
| Total Visits as School Nurse | 673 | 978 | |
Visiting the Aged
Much of the work of the health visitor gets less recognition than it should but her
services are in constant demand. Requests for visits to the elderly are an everyday
feature, mostly from general practitioners or hospital almoners. Many of the elderly are
unable to care for themselves, are sometimes without relatives and so require a number
of the social services available. The health visitor is very much aware of the valuable
work undertaken by the Old People's Welfare Associations of Hornsey and Tottenham and
she frequently seeks their help. It is sometimes difficult to persuade some elderly
people to accept help and only after several visits is their co-operation achieved Once
help has been accepted, further deterioration is frequently prevented and perhaps the
necessity of admission to hospital averted.
Health Education
Instruction in health practices is only part of the health education programmes.
Whether given individually in the home or in organised groups, it seeks to develop sound
attitudes To be successful, the health visitor has to create relationships with parents
and parents-to-be, to gain the interest of the apathetic and the disinterested and ??? be
aware of the psychological aspects She also needs to understand the metabolic turmoil
of pregnancy, with accompanying social and economic stresses. Increase in the