[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, County of the Soke of Peterborough.

  • Peterborough (England). County Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, County of the Soke of Peterborough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (b) Clinics Total number of attendances made by Health Visitors at Local Health Authority Clinic sessions during the year . 604 Total number of attendances by whole-time tuberculosis visitors at chest clinic sessions during the year . 358 Four of the Health Visitors (including the Tuberculosis Health Visitor) have cars and are classed as “ essential users A fifth Health Visitor will shortly be provided with a car. In addition to attendance at welfare clinics and visiting expectant and nursing mothers and young children, the Health Visitors (usually the Superin¬ tendent Nursing Officer) investigate the home conditions of women whose confinement in hospital is recommended on social grounds, patients discharged ! from hospital, certain senile and chronic sick persons, etc. A liaison with ffie Local Psychiatric Clinic and the Psychiatrists at the Mental Hospital (which Peterborough patients attend, usually voluntarily) has been built up. This home visiting, particularly in the case of women patients, is valued as an impor¬ tant step in mental health work, assisting often in keeping patients out of the mental hospital and preventing relapses. i SECTION 25—Home Nursing In the City of Peterborough, home nursing is undertaken by the Florence Saunders Nursing Association on an agency basis, six whole-time nurses being employed. In the rural areas of the County three full-time district nurses are employed by the Local Health Authority. Each nurse is provided with a car, so that the whole rural area is adequately covered by these nurses, who reside at Barnack, Castor and Glinton (the Castor District Nurse retired in 1955, and her place has been taken by a nurse who is now living at Walton). Patients requiring nursing are usually notified to the District Nurse direct by General Practitioners. The Hospital Almoner contacts the nurses about cases needing nursing care on discharge from Hospital. I append details of the work carried out by the District Nurses during the year 1954:— Medical Surgical •. Maternal Complications Others . Totals ... No of No. of Cases Visits 575 17,685 103 2,291 14 103 21 488 713 20,567 The care and nursing of old people absorbs a large part of the nurses’ time, 424 of the 713 cases and 16,366 of the 20.567 visits were patients of 65 years or over at the time of the first visit during the year. No night service is provided, but evening visits are made by the District Nurses if necessary.