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the efficiency of the Council's scheme could be promoted by the
appointment of an Assistant Medical Officer for Maternity and
Child Welfare to serve as a liaison officer between the voluntary
centres and the Council.
I accordingly outlined two schemes, the first providing for the
systematic supervision by the officer appointed of the work carried
out at all the centres in the Borough and the conduct of the medical
sessions at the respective municipal and voluntary Infant Welfare
Centres on a rota system.
The alternative scheme provided for the discharge of similar
duties except for an alteration in the Clinic Medical Session rota
duty arrangements.
The adoption of either scheme would, in my opinion, have
linked up more closely the work of the voluntary associations
with that of the local authority.
I am also of opinion that this chain could be further strengthened
by relieving the Voluntary Associations of the power of
appointment of Health Visitors, and for the Council to accept the
responsibility of appointing these officers for duty in the areas
covered by these Associations.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Committee in their report
to the Council on the observations of the Ministry of Health stated
that they had formed the opinion that although in view of the
extent of the Maternity and Child Welfare services, the appointment
of an Assistant Medical Officer was not practicable at present, it
was, as indicated by the Minister, a development which should be
kept in mind for execution as and when circumstances permit.
Health Visitors.
At the end of the year there were 14 health visitors engaged in
health visiting in connection with maternity and child welfare work,
eleven being employed by Voluntary Associations and three by this
Authority. Part time service of two women sanitary inspectors was
also occupied in visiting cases of ophthalmia neonatorum, measles,
whooping-cough, puerperal pyrexia and anterior polio-myelitis.
The equivalent of whole time service devoted by the whole
staff to health visiting, including attendance at infant welfare
centres was (a) in the case of health visitors employed by the
Council, 3 1/3 and (b) by Voluntary Associations, 10½.
The number of visits paid to the homes of children under
school age during 1933 was 38,996 as compared with 37,801 in the
previous year. The comparative number of visits to children
between the ages of 1 and 5 years was 21,471 and 21,349 respectively.
Tables showing attendances at all the Centres in Camberwell
and details of the visits carried out by the Health Visitors appear
on pages 28 and 29.