[Report 1956] / Medical Officer of Health, Leeds City.

  • Leeds City Council
Date:
1956
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1956] / Medical Officer of Health, Leeds City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    137/252 (page 113)
    CARE AND AFTER-CARE (HEALTH VISITING) BY Joyce M. Akester, S.R.N., S.C.M., D.N. (London) Superintendent Health Visitor The Sick, Aged and Handicapped.—Since 1948, health visitors have taken an increasing share in the work carried out under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act. In the normal course of their duties they are often given information about sick, aged and handi¬ capped people in need of help ; requests for visits are received in the Public Health Department from patients, their relatives, friends, hospital almoners, etc. The reasons for which visits are requested show infinite variety and sometimes the health visitor finds a patient suffering from advanced or acute illness, in immediate need of medical and nursing care followed by admission to hospital. More often she is asked to visit the chronic sick, aged or handicapped and it is necessary for her to assess the need for help, decide how much she can give herself and to whom the care should be referred for assistance outside her own province. This branch of her work brings the health visitor into co-operation with officers of other sections of the Public Health Department, other Corporation Departments and other statutory and voluntary organisations. Close contact is maintained with the officers of the District Nursing, Home Help and Public Health Inspectors’ Sections, Welfare Services Department, the National Assistance Board and, also, hospital almoners, members of the W.V.S. and the like. Contact with general practitioners still develops slowly. There is frequent referral of patients from health visitors to doctors but only a few of the doctors are in the habit of requesting help from health visitors. In some areas, however, this habit has become established and with it a good working relationship. The needs of the sick and elderly people visited include nursing care, nursing equipment, domestic help, clothing, bedding, meals, attention to sanitary defects and re-housing on medical grounds. Tuberculosis.—-As in previous years, all newly notified cases of tuberculosis have been visited and arrangements made for the supervision of contacts. These and other special visits to tuberculous