Need For Social Workers

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31750, 6 August 1968, Page 13

Need For Social Workers

There is an urgent need for social workers to work in the community with doctors, says a group of nine Canterbury general practitioners who have analysed general practice.

“Some doctor. »re now employing their own social workers,” they »y in a report published in the latest issue at the “New Zealand Medical Journal." Drs L. F. G. Austin, R. Hunt, S. Carson, A. D. L. Hunter, B. L. Jones, F. Kral, D. Mcllroy, R. V. Nieoll, and J. W. B. Walshe maintain that the essence of private practice is the domiciliary care of the patient “This is best done by group practice which should coordinate the services of the general practitioners, nurses, social workers, and other agencies working in the community,” they say. “At present there are no public social workers who work for the patient,” the report says. Conflict Of Interest

“There are hospital social workers whose job Is to

empty' hospital beds, end often we see a conflict with the patient’s interests. “There are Social Security Department social workers who work for the department and every doctor knows of instances where the scope of their work does not Include the Interests of people who are in need. “There will be many occasions when it is the task of the social workers in the local team to see the patient, or go to the home in the first instance, and then Summon the aid of the doctor." The doctors say much more could be achieved if a nurse worked with the medical team in the community. “For instance there is no need for children to lie in

hospital for months when all that is needed is the medical team, the equipment from hospital and a mother who Is pleased to have her child at home.”

Treating The Aged The aged and Infirm could benefit as never before from the work of the medical team, the report says. “It is our experience that one of the most distressing things that can happen to an elderly person is to leave the home where he has been for yean to die alone in a large Institution. “We believe residential homes for the aged and Infirm should not be large, centralised institutions, but should be situated in local communities and should oon-

sist of about 50 beds, some of which should be terminal nursing beds. “The modern geriatric unit in the base hospital should be kept small and active, and be available to be used by tho medical team.” The doctor* consider that the system of a Government subsidy to the patient towards the cost of the personal doctor’s fee is the best system yet devised.

The report says the cheapest place to care for the patient is in his own home. “The bed and the plumbing are provided already, and with suitable patients, the provision of proper domiciliary care is even more important than the provision of cheap community hospitals.”