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Although several nurses retired from district nursing during 1968
following many years of service in the Borough, recruitment of nurses
has been satisfactory.
Organisation
Three male nurses are now included in the establishment, all are
motorists, and able to cover the Borough where special care is needed
for male patients.
Employment of nursing auxiliaries continued, with five working
part-time at the end of the year. They work under the supervision of
the trained nurse to give general care to those patients not requiring
fully skilled nursing. Their addition to the establishment has relieved
the trained nurses who can devote more of their time to the very ill,
and to rehabilitation of patients wherever possible.
District Nurses and Midwives are now using many items of
disposable equipment, some of these are pre-sterilised, giving a safer
and time-saving method of nursing care to the patients.
With the aid of hydraulically operated hoists District Nurses are
able to move the heavy handicapped patient with a greater degree of
comfort to nurse and patient.
Training of District Nurses
This Authority is approved as a training area for the practical
part of District Nurse training, leading to the National Certificate of
District Nurse Training. Students attend Croydon Technical College
for their theoretical instruction. Four nurses were seconded for
training during the year.
General Practitioner Attachments
In September, one Home Nurse was attached to a group of
general practitioners in the area. She is responsible for all patients
on the list of doctors requiring home nursing care within the Borough
boundary. A call is made by her each day to the surgery to discuss
the cases visited from the practice, and to receive details of any new
work.
It is anticipated that this attachment of Home Nurses to general
practitioners will increase next year.
Post-Graduate Courses for District Nurses
During the year six nurses attended residential refresher courses
of one week's duration and three attended non-residential courses
lasting one day.
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