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time spent on routine medical inspections, replacing them by special examinations of children
considered to be in need of particular attention. The results so far have proved successful,
the total time taken having been reduced and special consideration, both medical and
social, has been given to many individual children in need of help.
The health of the school children remains good and their hygiene improves steadily.
Skin, eye and ear conditions often associated with poor hygiene are fast disappearing. The
attendances at minor ailment clinics have not only dropped but the conditions found are
frequently of a more trivial nature. At two centres it has been found possible to run a minor
ailment service which satisfactorily meets the needs without holding any doctors' sessions.
The need for special investigation clinics has increased. These clinics provide for children
in need of individual care and attention which can only be given by medical officers specially
interested in the problems who are able to give the time and trouble required. Fortunately
some keenly interested medical officers have undertaken this work, which is of great value
both medically and socially.
Mental health—The community care services have continued to develop for mentally
disordered persons. Mental health social workers have maintained a close liaison with
general practitioners, psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric out-patient clinics and the various
social agencies in the division.
A service for home occupational therapy for home-bound psychiatric patients was
inaugurated and approval was given for an extension of this scheme.
There has been a very close link with St. Olave's psychiatric day hospital; social workers
have attended case conferences at the hospital each week and have carried out a large
proportion of the social work involved. The psychiatric in-patient unit at St. Olave's
hospital started admitting patients at the end of the year. The in-patient unit and the day
hospital function together under the same consultant psychiatrist and, with out-patient
facilities on the premises, offer a comprehensive psychiatric service to the area.
The Blackfriars Settlement opened an experimental work centre in Morley Street, S.E.1,
which caters for the mentally disordered as well as for the elderly and the physically handicapped.
The Council approved a grant in respect of psychiatric patients attending this
centre, as is already done in connection with the Institute of Social Psychiatry's rehabilitation
centres at Blackfriars and Crossways.
Co-ordinating committee—The committee and staff have had to undertake a considerable
amount of extra work in connection with the short-stay accommodation provided by the
Housing department; 17 families with rent arrears in short-stay accommodation were
investigated, intermediate case conferences were held on 12 families and casework in shortstay
accommodation arranged for eight families. Special meetings were held with the
Housing and Welfare staff and local National Assistance Board managers; these were of
great value in establishing full co-operation between the departments. A full-time family
caseworker was appointed to the division in September, who began work immediately with
these families. During the year also, 121 families were rehoused in the division from
short-stay accommodation. It was found that many of these families were poorly equipped,
there being several essential items which could not be obtained through the W.V.S.
furnishing scheme. Material help as well as advice and supervision was therefore needed, as
it was for a number of families rehoused on other special circumstances.
Meantime many families in the static population of the division continued to need
interdepartmental discussion and planning. Particulars regarding 241 cases of arrears in
normal tenancies were investigated and 23 intermediate case conferences held. From all
sources a total of 61 intermediate case conferences was held and 134 families were reviewed
briefly at the co-ordinating committee. Whatever help possible was given in all cases, from
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