View report page

35
Medical Staff and Supervision.
At the present time the Council employ one whole-time and two
part-time Medical Officers for the purpose of Maternity and Child Welfare,
in addition to which, the voluntary centres employ three part-time
Medical Officers.
The Committee has already under consideration the advisability of
appointing full-time Medical Officers, and I would stress this as an urgent
matter owing to the desirability of increasing the number of sessions
to be held, particularly as an when the new Welfare Centres are completed.
Health Visiting Staff and Home Visiting.
The Council employ nine whole-time health visitors who are paid
according to the London District Council scale of salaries, and, therefore,
the Minister's observations regarding inadequate salaries do not apply
to this Borough.
In addition, the voluntary centres employ three health visitors,
making a total of twelve health visitors employed in the Borough.
It has always been the policy of the Council for the visitors to follow
up regularly all infants and toddlers until they attend school, but, owing
to the increasing duties thrown upon the health visitors during the past
few years, it has been extremely difficult to pay the requisite number
of visits as desired by the Minister. In spite of this, however, the twelve
health visitors concerned made a total of 19,588 visits to children between
the ages of 12 months and 5 years during the year 1935.
It is a recognised principle that these children should be visited at
least three times during the year. It therefore follows that if all the
children not attending school or nursery are to be visited according to
the Circular, at least one more health visitor is required immediately.
As previously mentioned in this report, it is the intention of the
Maternity and Child Welfare Committee to increase the number of sessions
when the new centres are completed, it is, therefore, obvious that there
will be still less time for the health visitors for visiting purposes, and
additional staff will be required as and when the centres are completed.
In addition to the one required immediately, I estimate that the
services of two further health visitors will be required when the maternity
scheme is completed.