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the centre. At one centre, a mid-day dinner was provided. The centres were experimental
and were held in temporary accommodation. One was held on eight sessions a week for
30-40 patients, the other for three sessions a week for 12-15 patients. They proved very
successful and by the end of the year definite plans were completed to move the larger
centre to much better premises on a full-time basis.
South-East London General Practitioners Centre—Progress at the centre has continued;
there has been a steady increase in new patients and the number of doctors using the centre
has risen from 129 to 167. There have been a number of visitors to the centre, parties as
well as individuals. In addition to post-graduate discussions and meetings, which have continued,
an instructional period was organised for a party of medical students at which
clinical cases were shown, such as would not normally be seen in the wards of a general
hospital. The experience gained from the working of the centre is being used in the planning
elsewhere of similar facilities for general practitioners.
DIVISION 8, comprising the boroughs of Bermondsey, Lambeth and Southwark
Dr. W. H. S. Wallace reports:
Premises—Further progress was made to provide new premises with all modern facilities
for the health services of the area. The ground floor of the Benson Home in Sancroft Street,
no longer required by the district nurses, was adapted for use as a maternity and child welfare
clinic. The Moffat welfare centre, temporarily housed in inconvenient and inadequate
accommodation at Alford House, was moved into these premises in July. The large,
purpose-built Loughborough centre was opened in November. Attached to a community
centre in the Loughborough area of Brixton, this centre provides full maternity and child
welfare services, a chiropody clinic and the home help office for South Lambeth. The new
and spacious premises where these services have been provided together have proved a most
successful and valuable centre.
The Castle day rehabilitation centre was completed towards the end of the year. This
purpose-built centre for mentally ill patients is very conveniently situated for both patients
and staff, as it is adjacent to the divisional offices at the Elephant and Castle. The centre
provides excellent facilities for industrial therapy for 30 patients with a view to their
rehabilitation for full employment.
Maternity and child welfare—Arrangements were made early in the year to offer facilities
for general practitioner obstetricians to see their own booked maternity patients at the
ante-natal clinics in the division; 26 general practitioner obstetricians are making use of
these facilities, working at nine centres in the division. The arrangements have proved
successful and are welcomed by the practitioners who use them. The provision of sterile,
disposable syringes for the taking of blood specimens at ante-natal sessions has proved
most successful.
The heavy pressure on maternity beds in hospitals has continued. The rise in the birth
rate and the number of immigrants in the division has thrown an increasing burden on the
hospital services. A bed bureau has been established at the divisional office. Requests for
hospital beds are referred from the health visitors at the clinics and hospital bookings
made centrally; this has relieved the health visitors of a very large number of telephone
calls. The hospitals serving the division have helped in every way possible. Mothers are
being discharged earlier and special arrangements for 48-hour discharges in specially selected
cases have been made by Lambeth and Dulwich hospitals.
School health service—The experimental scheme to abandon the 'seven plus' periodic
medical inspections in schools and to replace them by 'special' medical examinations has
been in operation in seven selected schools throughout the year. The scheme aims at reducing
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