[Report 1961] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council.

  • Dorset (England). County Council.
Date:
1961
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1961] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    22/91 (page 18)
    Co-operation with Hospitals In cases of early discharge from hospital where care is needed for mothers, children and old people, the hospital almoners notify either the health department or the health visitor direct. Health visitors also visit the home when information is required regarding environmental conditions before patients are discharged. Co-operation has been well maintained during the year and has proved particularly valuable in the follow-up of mothers and old people after returning home from hospital. In Dorchester, Poole and Weymouth health visitors attend on rota at hospital paediatric clinics where they are able to advise the paediatrician regarding the home conditions of the children and in their follow-up visits to the home ensure that advice given to the parents is being reasonably interpreted. In the South Dorset area health visitors attend the special ear, nose and throat clinics for children. Where space and facilities are available the health visitor attends the hospital and ante-natal clinics to give talks and practical demonstrations on mothercraft. In addition to the obvious benefits to the mother, this arrangement enables the health visitor to be fully informed on all circumstances conc;rning the confinement so that subsequent visiting is made easier. Facilities for Refresher Courses All health visitors in the employment of the County Council attend a post-graduate course of study once in five years. During the year six health visitors attended such a course. Training The County Council contributes towards the training of student health visitors but no special grants or arrangements were made for health visitors during the year. In-service training is arranged from time to time. Statistics Summary of Visits paid by Health Visitors during 1960—1961 (excluding work as school nurse) 19 60 19 61 Type of Visit First Visits Total Visits First Visits Total Visits Routine Visits: Expectant Mothers 1,078 1,596 953 1,383 Post-Natal Cases 4,478 4,820 4,266 4,633 Children under one year 4,748 27,138 4,743 26,792 Children between one and two years 128 14,510 245 13,935 Children between two and five years 206 24,239 468 22,022 Special Visits: Ophthalmia Neonatorum 3 4 1 2 Puerperal Pyrexia — — — — Care and After-Care: Tuberculous Households 168 1,216 326 1,084 Tuberculous Patients 178 1,328 412 1,434 Mental Health 6 93 2 52 Old People 1,152 7,105 872 6,436 Other After-Care Visits 169 938 237 1,113 Problem Families 92 2,704 109 2,735 Other categories of Mental Illness 17 104 17 126 Handicapped Persons: General Classes 210 1,573 231 1,855 Deaf and Dumb 1 38 3 17 Hard of Hearing 2 22 — 18 Blind and Partially sighted 13 56 5 51 Miscellaneous: Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics attended — 2,619 — 2,475 Chest Clinics attended — 282 — 184 Lectures or Talks given — 355 — 389 Other Home Visits 2,271 2,295 HOME NURSING (Section 25) Administrative Arrangements In Poole, Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport staff are employed entirely on nursing duties but in the rest oft he county the duties are combined with midwifery. Increasing difficulty has been experienced in filling vacancies as they arise and the position may well worsen in the future. Co-operation with General Practitioners Applications for the services of the home nurses are made by family doctors or through patients or relatives direct to the nurse concerned. The nurse works in close co-operation with the doctor and arrangements are made for them to meet either at the home of the patient or at the surgery in order to discuss mutual problems concerning patients. In Poole there is a central office to deal with enquiries, especially by telephone, and the allocation of cases. This is found necessary in this populous area but it would be uneconomical for the smaller districts where the nurse can deal with her own calls.