London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Wanstead and Woodford 1957

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wanstead and Woodford]

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Home Nursing (Section 25)
The Superintendent of District Nurses, Miss A. Williams, S.R.N,
S.C.M., Q.I., H.V.Cert., reports as follows:—
The equivalent of 6½ Nursing Sisters are employed on General
Nursing duties in the Borough of Wanstead and Woodford, with the
addition of the part time services of two male nurses.
The staff remained at full establishment during the year and a
good nursing service was rendered to the acute and chronic sick
including the care of the aged. Patients requiring various types of
hypodermic injections are decreasing.

The following statistics show a comparison of work undertaken by the District Nurses during the years 1956 and 1957:—

19571956
Number of new cases659769
Number of visits2407223658
Last Offices performed3051
Advisory or Casual Visits531467

VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION (Section 26)
Vaccination and immunisation is available at all Child Welfare
Clinics, but in the majority of cases is carried out by the family
doctor.
Intensive propaganda, both personal on the part of clinic doctors
and Health Visitors, and by means of leaflets and birthday cards, is
maintained to ensure that all infants are immunised against Diphtheria.
During the past 10 years the incidence of this disease has
fallen to a minimum with the result that never having experienced
it, present day parents tend to become complacent, and to postpone
immunisation. Nevertheless, it is estimated that 75—80 per cent of
children are being protected. It is impossible to give an accurate
figure as many practitioners do not trouble to claim the small fee
available to them for recording the immunisation. Primary immunisation
is usually carried out during the 6th—9th month, and a
"booster" dose is given at 5 years, on entry to school.
Immunisation against whooping cough is normally carried out
from the 3rd to 6th month.
The number of children who completed a full course of primary
immunisation against diphtheria during the year is set out below:—
Under 5 years of age 641
5 to 15 years of age 38
679
The number of children who received a secondary or re-inforcing
injection was 343.
46