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Voluntary Helpers. The great assistance rendered by the lady
Voluntary Helpers at the Clinics is inestimable. It would be impossible
for the Health Visitors alone, without seriously interfering
with the Home-Visiting, to conduct the large amount of work at the
Clinics, and for this reason as well as the splendid way in which
voluntary help has been given, cordial appreciation of the helpers
should be recorded.
The names of the helpers are given later.
The help of the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee and the
Public Health Committee was most useful, and their support was at
all times willingly granted. Thanks are tendered to the Chairman,
Vice-Chairman and the Members of the two Committees.
Supply of Milk.
Towards the end of the year, the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee decided to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of
Health with regard to the issue of free milk and milk at a reduced
price to ante-natal mothers, nursing mothers, hand-fed infants and
weakly children under five years old. Arrangements were made with
local purveyors of milk, whereby mothers, on presentation of a milk
card, obtained either at the Clinic or Town Hall and signed by the
Medical Officer of Health or the Assistant Medical Officer of Health,
could obtain a certified quantity of milk from their milkman, either free
or at a reduced price. This free and reduced milk was only allowed in
necessitous cases after enquiry into the financial circumstances of the
family and where an increased amount of cow's milk was indicated for
the sake of the health of the mother or child. Posters were printed
and circulated throughout the Borough, and by means of this advertisement,
coupled with the energies of the Health Visitors, it was not long
before almost every mother in Deptford was aware of the excellent
facilities thus provided by the Council. As to the beneficial results
gained from supplying milk in cases where the parents are unable to
purchase it there can be no doubt, but it was found necessary, in order
that the health of the children should not suffer on account of lack of
nourishment, that there should be as little delay as possible in providing
the milk after application had been made —even at the risk of some
slight abuse of the privilege, due to parents, anxious to obtain cheap
milk, understating the income of the family. Instances of this latter
kind were few in nilmber considering the large number of applications.