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34
Additional Statistics
During the year additional statistics were requested by the Department
of Health and Social Security on the types of cases attending family planning
clinics and the different methods adopted. These are as set out below:
New Cases During 1972
Male 1
Females 2,464
Types of Case
Medical 955
Non-medical 1,510
Patients
Methods Adopted Clinic Domiciliary
Pill 1,539 35
Diaphragm 182 4
I.U.D 270 32
Other Methods 646 49
No method advised 10 1
More than one method would have been adopted in several cases.
HEALTH VISITING
The Health Visitor is a trained nurse with post-registration qualifications
in obstetrics and health visiting who provides a continuing service
to families and invididuals in the community.
In some areas she works very closely with the family doctor, but she
is a practitioner in her own right, detecting cases of need on her own
initiative as well as acting on referrals. she has skills and knowledge
particular to her work and these are drawn from her nursing background and
from the additional preparation in her health visiting course.
Her work has five main aspects:-
1. The prevention of mental, physical and mental ill health and its consequences;
2. Early detection of ill health and surveillance of high risk groups;
3. Recognition and identification of need and mobilisation of appropriate
resources where necessary;
4. Health teaching;
5. Provision of care; this will include support during periods of stress,
and advice and guidance in cases of illness as well as in the care and
management of children. The Health Visitor is not, however, actively
engaged in technical nursing procedures.
she has a statutory duty to visit every new born baby following the
notification of birth, thus laying the foundation for a lasting relationship
with the family. No other worker at present combines the type of
knowledge and skills outlined. The service the Health Visitor offers is
essential if medico/social problems are to be contained within manageable
proportions in relation to available resources in money and personnel,
quite apart from the promotion of health of the community in its widest
sense.