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PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING AND
ALLIED SERVICES
HEALTH VISITING
Staff
At the end of the year, the staff position was:—
1 Superintendent Health Visitor.
1 Deputy Superintendent Health Visitor.
26 Full-time Health Visitors.
4 Part-time Health Visitors.
1 Part-time Geriatric Health Visitor.
1 Full-time Tuberculosis Health Visitor.
1 Part-time Tuberculosis Health Visitor.
2 Part-time Tuberculosis Visitors.
3 Student Health Visitors.
Eight Health Visitors left the Service during 1967. Three retired,
two left on marriage and of the remainder, one went to Northumberland
as her husband's work was removed to that area, one to nurse
in Zambia and the third to do classroom teacher's duties in Aberdeen
prior to commencing training as a Health Visitor tutor.
Six Health Visitors joined the staff during 1967, including two
students who qualified as Health Visitors in September, 1967. There
were two vacancies at the end of the year but the areas were covered
by temporary part-time Health Visitors. Three students began training
in September, 1967, two at the University of Surrey and one at
Ewell Technical College, Surrey County Council.
Health Visitors' Duties
The work of the Health Visitors has broadened considerably
during the year. The emphasis is still on home visiting of the family,
but certain aspects of the work have been developed and appear to
be much appreciated by the public.
It has long been felt that more could be done for ante-natal
mothers and their husbands, and, therefore, on one evening in each
month during 1967 a film on the birth of a baby was shown in Morden
Library. An average of twenty couples attended each showing and
took part in the discussion that followed. As this pilot scheme proved
successful a series of Fathercraft classes was given in October as a
joint project of Midwives and Health Visitors. These film shows and
classes are now to become permanent features.
There was a change in the arrangements for Toddler Clinics
during the year. In the past an appointment was made only at the
request of the mother, and it was felt, therefore, that many children
who needed to be seen never came to these sessions. It was decided
that all children in the Borough should be sent an invitation for a
complete examination at the age of three years, and children ' at risk '
should have additional examinations at the ages of two and four.
As a result of this the number of Toddler sessions was doubled in
1967 and the attendances rose from 965 to 2084.
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