[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Neath R.D.C.

  • Neath (Wales). Rural District Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Neath R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/36 (page 5)
    NEATH & DISTRICT DIVISIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE Review of Services Administered during 1951 The following observations are submitted on the various services of this Division :— (i) Home Nursing—Section 25. There has been excellent work carried out by the staff of thirteen Home Nurses during the past year, and there is every indication of an increasing demand for Domiciliary Nursing. It appears that the continued increase of work is largely attributable to the following factors :— (a) The shortage oi Hospital beds for the chronic sick, with the resultant necessity of more patients being nursed at home. (b) The increase in the practice of Tuberculous patients receiving streptomycin, now administered by Home Nurses, whilst awaiting admission to Sanatoria. The Family Doctor relies to a great extent on the services of the Home Nurse following the early discharge of patients from hospital, and in this type of case the Home Nursing Service is closely allied to the Home Help Service. The undermentioned statistical information will give the Committee some idea of the volume of wwk undertaken during the past year, and it may be as well to bear in mind that its continual growth may necessitate a review' of the staffing position in the future. Year Ended 31st December, 1951 Number of Cases attended ... ... 1,250 Number of Visits paid during the year ... 41,530 Number of Visits paid by Home Nurses to Tubercular Patients ... ... 2,579 (2) Midwifery Service—Section 23. Unfortunately there is a decline in the number of cases attended by the Domiciliary Midwife, and the tendency to-day is for expectant mothers to seek hospitalisation for their confinement. The reasons for this can be divided into the following categories :— (a) Since the introduction of the National Health Service Act, 1946, people are more hospital minded. (b) There is a lack of suitable housing accommodation. (c) There are also economic advantages of having a child in Hospital.