[Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, East Sussex County Council.

  • East Sussex (England). County Council
Date:
1949
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, East Sussex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/40 page 15
    I 13 i Maternity Hospital Provision. As indicated above, the Health Authority have continued ' to assess on behalf of the Regional Hospital Board all applications for admission to maternity units which have been made on “ social ” grounds. Applications on “ medical ” grounds I are made by the doctor concerned direct to the hospital of choice, and there is at present no certain way of knowing the total number of such admissions ; but approved admissions on “ social ” grounds were as follows :— Cuckfield Hospital St. Helen’s Hospital, Hastings .. Southlands Hospital, Shoreham Sussex Maternity Hospital, Brighton Eastbourne Maternity Home Crowborough Hospital Pembury Hospital Maternity Home, Tunbridge Wells Northfields, Langton Brighton General Hospital 230 96 79 12 9 1 5 2 1 2 i\ 437 '0| )!' lej '?i m to| all id] !ir| d„ ch I HEALTH VISITING (SECTION 24). II (Excluding Hove and Portslade Sub-Committee Area.) The generalised nursing scheme which has been found so suitable in rural areas has been maintained for the most part, though it has been found that owing to the wider scope of a health visitor's duties under Section 24, it is becoming desirable in areas including a substantial proportion of built-up territory to appoint whole-time health visitors. This is indicated by the increased number of whole-time health visitors employed at 31st 'December, 1949 (14), as compared with, say, 31st December, 1947 (7). ;H[ In the rural areas where generalised nursing is in force, health visiting is carried out by district nurse midwives, there being 66 on generalised duties. In addition there are in the more urban areas 14 whole-time health visitors who also act as tuberculosis visitors and school nurses. ch ur )le b\, te. en| ndj :eni ini er ISt.; )n' sa) ildi' The generalised system anticipated in one sense the widened scope of health visiting as defined in Section 24, in that a generalised nurse has always been regarded as the trusted family adviser on all nursing and related matters in the home, whether maternity, general nursing or anything else. New duties, however, often require new training, and every effort has been made and is being continued to send generalised nurses for health visitor training as opportunities permit. (HOME NURSING (SECTION 25). (Excluding Hove and Portslade Sub-Committee Area.) Although this service is now a responsibility of the Authority, it has been continued oh the same lines as before the appointed day, that is to say, by the employment of district nurses or district nurse-midwives appointed to the staff of the County Nursing Association. .\lthough on occasion it has been necessary to employ State-enrolled assistant nurses, the established policy is to appoint Queen’s Nurses. VI x\s the needs of the whole county were already covered on the appointed day, it has not been necessary to make any major reorganisation or additions ; but as might have been expected, the demand for home nursing has increased considerably, though without any indication that it is augmented by unreasonable requests. It is not yet possible to provide for more than a morning and evening visit to any given patient, or to give night nursing. ibe ths The question has been raised at intervals whether a large district nursing staff should et- not include a proportion of male nurses. The opinion so far is that such appointments are oidy appropriate in town areas and none has yet been made in this county ; but the matter will be reconsidered at intervals.
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