[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hounslow].

  • Hounslow (London, England). Council.
Date:
[1973?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hounslow]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Nursing personnel and two student nurses from Hounslow Hospital spent half a day with a Home Nurse and half a day with a Health Visitor, also a Nursing Officer from East Kilbride in Scotland spent one day in the Department studying the activities at the Health Centre. This year set the scene for the new option training scheme for student nurses from West Middlesex Hospital. The Borough of Richmond Nursing Service together with the Hounslow nursing team will offer community nurse training to student nurses and although this experience does not lead to the qualification certificate in District Nursing it does mean that more hospital trained nurses are made aware of the total patient care programme and enables them to consider patients beyond the confines of the hospital ward. Ward Sisters have also observed the work of District Nursing Sisters and this can do nothing but good. Dr. Herridge, Consultant Psychiatrist and Dr. Low-Beer were special guest lecturers to the Course entitled Teaching techniques for minimisation of stress in pregnancy and labour. This Course was arranged by Mrs. E. Montgomery, Bristol, a specialist in this therapy. Training courses in psychiatric nursing appreciation: school/clinic nurses were arranged. The family planning courses to which staff from surrounding Boroughs were invited served to extend the experience of field staff. Two Senior Nursing Officers undertook a course in middle management and two Health Visitors trained to be Field Work Instructors bringing the number of the latter up to nine. One Health Visitor is undertaking a course in Health Education at Chiswick Polytechnic: two Home Nurses hope to complete the District Nurse Training course in early 1973. Study Days and Seminars arranged by the London Borough's Training Committee have been most valuable features of our training programmes and are regarded as vital if high standards of nursing care to the patients are to be maintained. Hospital Liaison The need for good liaison with local hospitals has been recognised for many years, but the rapid pace of change and the pending merging of the hospital and community nursing services were the two poignant reasons for appointing a hospital liaison officer who could spend time setting up sound links of communication by demonstrating the need for preventive care and support for the patient and the associated family units. In October of this year such a link was established and the first approach was made in the paediatric wards of West Middlesex Hospital. The officer was invited to attend the Consultant's Ward Round, and thus link up with the team of social workers and senior nursing staff. Points of procedure with regard to two way flow of information from hospital to the community is discussed and action taken to secure the safe transferral of patients home with a full background knowledge of the ability of the family to manage the care of the patient with the help of appropriate health visitor counselling or physical nursing care from the district nursing sister. The Paediatric Outpatients Clinic also brings this officer in touch with patients and families in need of medical social support and referrals to the community team are being done through this channel. Some though is being given as to how the hospital/ community nursing team can interlink a supportive service when a battered baby syndrome is suspected. In the Maternity Department good liaison exists, but the hospital liaison officer can offer additional links with the primary care team as and when the needs are identified. Prevention of illness — care and after-care Tuberculosis Tuberculosis prevention, care and after-care services for patients living at home are provided at the Hounslow and Ashford Chest Clinics. During 1972 there were 74 formal notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis and 37 of non-pulmonary tuberculosis, compared with 60 and 25 notifications respectively in 1971. The total number of cases on the register at the end of the year was 1800 (pulmonary — males 814, females 657, non-pulmonary — males 136, 193). Table 13 shows an analysis of all cases notified during 1972. There were 2 deaths from tuberculosis in 1972. Loan of nursing equipment The British Red Cross Society continues to operate a scheme for the loan of nursing equipment on behalf of the council. Charges for this service are nominal but in certain circumstances are abated or waived. Monies received from loan charges enabled the British Red Cross Society to provide replacements for smaller items of worn equipment. In addition some miscellaneous items of equipment were purchased by the health department during the year and stored centrally at Hounslow. These items were issued as required free of charge on short term loan to neccessitous patients when requested by members of the home nursing staff. Chiropody Service The chiropody service is available to the elderly, physically handicapped and children. This is provided at fully equipped council clinics and health centres and in the patients' own homes. During the year the service was partially augmented by the Heston and Isleworth Old People's Welfare Committee who, acting as agents on behalf of the borough council, conducted their own clinics and domiciliary treatments. The demands on the council's directly-provided service continued to increase during 1972. An average of 35 weekly sessions were held throughout the year in local authority premises compared with 30 in 1971. This increase was largely attributable to an amendment in the establishment of chiropodists during the year whereby it was possible to employ an additional full-time senior chiropodist to undertake 10 clinic sessions a week. A total of 1813 clinic sessions were held at which 3474 patients made 13,528 attendances for treatment. Ten chiropodists 19