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THE NURSING SERVICES
Throughout 1972 the demands made on all members of the
community nursing staff have been very great. Requests for the services
of health visitors, home nurses and domiciliary midwives are
ever increasing. It is a tribute to the conscientiousness and loyalty of
all staff that, however great their existing commitments, no request to
undertake additional work is ever refused.
The re-organisation of the National Health Service is causing
considerable apprehension and sadness amongst the staff who will no
longer be identified as members of the staff of the London Borough
of Merton.
Mrs. Poole, Chief Nursing Officer, attended a course for senior
members of staff on Integrated Health Care at Manchester University
in September. In October she was awarded a Secretary of States
Fellowship and the Authority released her to return to Manchester as
a Tutor. She was one of three nurses in the country to receive a
Fellowship.
The excellent relationships which at present exist between the
nursing staff and their colleagues in other Departments of the Borough
are firm ones and should not be disturbed when re-organisation does
occur. It is therefore to be hoped, that with the increased liaison with
hospital colleagues that re-organisation should bring, the public will
receive an even better service of health care.
In the late autumn, approval was granted to commence the much
needed night nursing service and by the end of the year staff had
been interviewed, appointments made and plans completed for this
service to commence in January, 1973. The standards for staff appointed
are necessarily very high. They must be professionally experienced
and be able to nurse any patient regardless of the condition diagnosed;
they must be personally acceptable to both patients and their relatives
and be able to deal with any crisis with calmness and efficiency.
In hospital, medical and other nursing assistance can be summoned
promptly. At home, particularly where there is no telephone,
the nurse has to act entirely on her own initiative.
A new Clinic Session entitled 'Slimming for Health' was commenced
in Church Road Clinic at the beginning of November. This
clinic, run by two enthusiastic health visitors, received much publicity
from both local and national press. In two months the combined weight
loss of the group was 445 lbs.—a figure in itself indicative of the
clinic's success. Many clients are referred to the clinic by general
practitioners and health visitors. In all cases the would-be slimmer's
general practitioner is informed to ensure that there are no medical
contra-indications to their attending. Plans are well in hand for a
second session at The Patrick Doody Clinic and Child Health Centre
when it opens early in 1973.
Once more the numbers of visits paid and treatments given to
patients in their own homes have increased greatly. This year the
district nursing sisters paid 117,297 visits, an increase of 8,655.
77% of these visits were to the elderly.
Sometimes it is necessary, in order to prevent a patient being
admitted to hospital, for the nurse to pay five or six visits daily. This
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