[Report 1960] / Medical Officer of Health, Northampton County Borough.

General Provision of Health Services (,continued) Liaison Arrangements. (Circular L.H.A.L. 2/59). All discharges of patients from maternity units are notified to the general medical practitioner concerned and the Medical Officer of Health. From these notifications the general medical practitioner and the health visitor take the necessary action relative to visits and advice and concern- ing additional visits oy the home nursing service and the employment of home helps. Very similar arrangements hold with regard to any patient discharged from hospital, but only at the special request of the hospital, and this includes children. From a reference to “ Home Nursing ” on page 22 it will be noted that the number of visits to children aged five vears and under is 111 (234 for 1959). Ambulance Services. This service is undertaken on behalf of the Health Committee by the Watch and Fire Service Committee and the officer m charge is the Chief Fire Officer. The service covers infectious disease cases as well as general ambulance work and accidents and the following summarises the work carried out:— AMBULANCES CARS Vehicles on 31/12/60 . 7 \ Journeys... 7,807 7,895 Patients carried. 13,163 14,407 Accidents and other emergency journeys included above . 1,066 26 Total mileage . 55,589 65,101 Of the total mileage of 120,690, journeys within the County Borough amounted to 71,557 miles and those to destinations outside to 49,133. There were 409 journeys of 50 miles or more which accounted for 39 858 miles of the 49,133. The 1960 mileage of 120,690 compares with 117,530 in 1959. The average monthly mileage in 1960 was 10,058, compared with 9,794, in 1959. TOTALS 8 15,702 27,570 1,092 120,690 On 31st December, 1960, the paid whole-time drivers and attendants numbered 12, plus one Control Room Attendant. Two of the seven ambulances mentioned above can be used either as ambulances or as sitting case cars. Whenever possible, railway facilities were used for the longer journeys. There were 88 such journeys in 1960, totalling 10,861 miles. There were 351 persons conveyed by motor ambulance or sitting case car at the request of the Ministry of Pensions or the Ministry of Health to artificial limb and appliance centres, mainly at Leicester, involving 85 journeys and a mileage of 6,370. Convalescence. In accordance with the Council’s scheme under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, five persons received recuperative convalescence for two weeks. They were assessed to contribute towards the cost according to their means and were sent to the following homes :— Hertfordshire Sea-Side Convalescent Home, St. Leonard’s-on-Sea 3 W.V.S. Holiday Home, “ Elmleigh,” Dallington, Northampton... 2