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The Borough has imposed no restrictions on recruitment, but the demand from the private
sector for domestic help, particularly in the more prosperous areas of the Borough, drastically
reduces the number of people willing to volunteer for this work. The approved rates of pay for home
helps compare very unfavourably with the rates obtainable in private households. Every effort is,
however, being made to recruit home helps on a part-time and full-time basis, and the employment
of male home helps is encouraged.
In order to supplement the Home Help Service the Good Neighbour service has been expanded
and the Borough are grant-aiding a voluntary organisation - Task Force 1964 - which organises
groups of young people to assist the elderly in their own homes. In-service training courses are
being arranged to integrate the home helps into the total service of the Health Department and to
make them aware of facilities provided within the Borough by other voluntary and statutory services,
in addition to giving them basic training in home help duties. A few specially selected home helps
have undergone a course of training for work with difficult families, but no special course for this
group has been organised during the year under review.
GOOD NEIGHBOUR SERVICE
The Good Neighbour Service, previously known as the Day Care Service for the Aged,
has operated in the St. Pancras area since 1961, when a pilot scheme was started by the London
Council of Social Service, and financed by the City Parochial Foundation. Financial responsibility
was later taken over by the St. Pancras Borough Council and the London County Council, and
during the period 1 April 1965 to 30 September 1965 the scheme was fully grant-aided by the London
Borough of Camden. The existing part-time organiser has been retained in the southern part of the
Borough, and a second part-time organiser recruited for the northern area to which the service was
extended in January, 1966. These areas are co-terminous with the Home Help Organisers' areas.
When the Council accepted direct financial responsibility it was also agreed to extend
the scheme to include the chronic sick and families with young children. Throughout the year there
was a steady increase in the demand for Good Neighbours, and recruitment kept pace with the
demand. The Good Neighbours supplement the work of the home helps and district nurses, and
their duties often include shopping, the preparation of simple meals, helping the patient to dress,
to get into or out of bed, the emptying of commodes, etc. They are paid an honorarium to guarantee
continuity of service, and many retired but active people are willing to undertake this service for
their less active neighbours. During the period under review at least one-third of the clients receiving
help from Good Neighbours would have needed residential care but for the support they received
through this service. On 1 October 1965, 89 clients were being helped by 59 Good Neighbours, and
by 31 December 1965 there were 111 clients and 65 Good Neighbours.
The Council decided that there should be no payment for this service but that where
clients offered to make a contribution, this should be accepted. In practice most of the recipients
of this service are in receipt of retirement pensions and/or National Assistance, and the question
of payment rarely arises.
The Principal Social Worker (Health Services) is responsible for the Good Neighbour
Service and for ensuring that clients receive the most appropriate type of help-be it Good Neighbour
or Home Help, or a combination of both.
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