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PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
The Principal Nursing Officer, Mrs. M. Gannon, reports as follows:-
Health Visiting Service
"In 1965 when the London Borough of Newham was formed by the amalgamation of the CountyBoroughs
of East and West Ham, the health visiting establishment was 79. The Borough was
divided into 52 health visiting areas, two of which were general practitioner attachment areas.
The remainder of the establishment consisted of state registered nurses and state enrolled
nurses.
Two new commitments were taken on by the service in the period under review. Firstly,
in late 1965, the health visitors were made responsible for convalescence, and secondly, in
May 1966, the Principal Nursing Officer was made responsible for the organisation and social
casework for the unmarried mothers.
In 1966, three Group Advisers were appointed with special responsibilities in three fields:-
(1) Co-ordination of the work in the schools for educationally sub-normal pupils, day training
centres and development clinics.
(2) Co-ordination of audiology services and hearing screening tests.
(3) Co-ordination of geriatric liaison and social case-work for convalescents.
Each Group Adviser was responsible also for care of about 90 families and was given charge of
health visiting staff and clinic premises. In 1967 a Fourth Group Adviser was appointed to be
responsible for the social casework for unmarried mothers. In 1969 a fifth Group Adviser was
appointed for health education. This member of staff has now resigned and the post remains
vacant.
Prior to 1967 in the School Health Service, public health nurses assisted health visitors
in their school and clinical work. In 1967 the practical work in schools was delegated to
public health nurses with a health visitor remaining in ultimate responsibility and the role of
the public health nurse clearly defined.
In 1967 the first male Health Visiting Officer was appointed in this Borough and allocated
duties with problem families and health education. After a period of nine months his method of
working was found to be too restricted and not using the full range of health visitor skills.
He was then transferred to the normal range of health visitor duties, maintaining his interest
in health education and this proved to be so successful that three more malehealth visiting
officers were appointed. One subsequently resigned.
In accordance with the policy of the Council for the training of health visitors, four
health visitors have been trained as field work instructors. After a period of one year, one
of the health visitors decided not to continue as a field work instructor and another is now
working part-time, no longer in the post of field work instructor.
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