[Report 1970] / Medical Officer of Health, Cambridgeshire County Council.

  • Cambridgeshire (England). County Council
Date:
1970
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1970] / Medical Officer of Health, Cambridgeshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    34/90 (page 26)
    SECTIONS 23, 24 and 25 MIDWIVES SERVICE, HEALTH VISITING AND HOME NURSING . -j.- VinTnp nursing services followed The administration of the midwifery, health visi mg arrangements operated by the the pattern laid down in 1969 on the termination o ® ^ w g [v]ee, works from isle of Ely Nursing Association. The Chief Nursrng Offleer.^Mrs.^S^^Me^, Cambridge and is supported by Area Nursing Officers The following is Mrs, ^ __ Mee's report on the services in 1970: Last year's report made mention of airwerrcmceiLd°with staff in the fullness of time, materialise. Practically a and those shortages and the differences in training levels between those g coming Whereas in the South of the County ■’eoruitment is easier and for State Registered Nurses relatively simple, the pattern in the North i „hose way and depends almost entirely upon women whose homes are in e are husbands are employed there. It is interesting to reflect that in the thirties the married woman was often at a disadvantage compared to her single sister where many posts were concerns Today a quick glance down the staff list shows that of one hundred an seven een nurses, eightyone are married, while of those still single, at least hal likely to marry, a number being already engaged. Approximately one third of the remainder are approaching retirement so that any hopes of a more static staff are not at present likely to be realised. While married women can and do bring problems they also bring experience and enrichment to the services as a whole and in many ways are perhaps better equipped to deal with some of today's social problems than are the unmarried. Especially is this so where they have raised a family of their own and become familiar with the problems of marriage and of a growing family at first hand. During the year the effects of impending change have had an unsettling effect on staff. The implications of the Peel Report on midwifery services, the coming into effect of the Local Authority Social Services Act, the knowledge that Local Government and the National Health Service are to be reorganised in the near future are all factors causing uncertainty. Home Nursing In the field of Home Nursing the overall pattern of care shows little difference, but new approaches have been made in one or two directions, notably the appointment of State Enrolled Nurses and Auxiliary staff in one area served by a Health Centre and the consequent introduction of team working headed by four General Practitioners, and including Health Visitor, State Registered Nurse, Health Visitor Assistant and Midwives. Two other slightly different schemes are envisaged for the Spring of 1971 which will entail joint Health Centre/District duties on a shared basis. During the year four tentative liaison schemes between general practitioners and district nurses in an urbanised area in the North of the County have become firm attachment schemes within the full meaning of the word, and are working successfully. Advances have also been made in other areas in appointing, where appropriate. State Enrolled Nurses or auxiliary helps. Midwifery There was again during the year an increase in the number of women delivered in hospital, higher in the South than in the North. Figures for the North were 93.8% in 1969 95.3% in 1970 In the South the corresponding figures were 80.1% in 1969 82.8% in 1970 In the Southern area ear.ly discharges increased by 203, in the North by only Expressed as a percentage of institutional live births, early discharap.^ -in the South were 68.3% - 58.1% in 1969 ^ North 47.5% - 44.3% in 1969 With hospital births now accounting for 87.8% over the County as a whole it is, as will be readily apparent, extremely difficult to balance the demands