London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Greenwich 1970
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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Visits to Greenwich residents maintained in voluntary homes continue to be made by Officers of the Directorate. The number of such residents rose slightly during the current year as the following table indicates:—
| Voluntary Establishments For | 1st Jan., 1970 | Admitted | Discharged or Died | 31st Dec., 1970 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Homes | No. of Residents | No. of Homes | No. of Residents | |||
| Aged | 22 | 32 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 36 |
| Blind | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Epileptics | 3 | 6 | — | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Physically Handicapped | 18 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 24 |
| Deaf and Dumb | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 3 |
| Totals | 53 | 73 | 20 | 17 | 55 | 76 |
Other Local Authority Homes
The numbers of Greenwich residents maintained in the homes of other local authorities continued to fall. Figures in the table below include the small number of residents who were transferred from Southern Grove Lodge to "Hillside" late in 1969 when the former establishment was closed.
| 1st Jan., 1970 Nos.in Residence | 31st Dec., 1970 Nos. in Residence | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | Females | Total | Admitted | Died | Discharged or transferred | Males | Females | Total |
| 22 | 25 | 47 | — | 8 | 3 | 18 | 18 | 36 |
Census of Residential Accommodation
During April and May the Council participated in a census of
residential accommodation provided in local authority and voluntary
homes, conducted by the Department of Health and Social
Security.
Homeless Families
A clear and uniformly acceptable definition of "homelessness"
is lacking. To local authorities it is, by necessity, synonymous with
"houselessness" despite recent efforts by some bodies to recognise
in the word homelessness a more complex state. Statistics in
relation to homelessness include those already in welfare accommodation
and those who, for various reasons, have lost their
homes, have nowhere to live and have applied to local authorities
for temporary housing. Indeed, official homelessness seems to