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GENERAL PROVISION FOR HEALTH
SERVICES IN THE AREA.
Welfare of Aged Persons.
Problems in connection with the aged, particularly those
"who are living alone, are increasing in complexity. It has been
found, however, that by close liaison with other agencies concerned,
in particular, the Personal Health Services of the London
County Council many difficult situations can be alleviated and
unnecessary hospitalisation prevented.
The Medical Officer on the staff of the London County
Council Divisional Medical Officer, Division 7, who is responsible
for co-ordinating the domiciliary work in connection with
the aged in need of care and attention has been most helpful.
Close contact is maintained with the general practitioner in
every case. On a number of occasions arrangements have been
made for the Sanitary Inspector and Health Visitor to visit the
house together. During the year the Sanitary Inspectors paid
158 visits to old people.
This co-operation enables the persons concerned to remain
in their own homes as long as possible. During 1954 it was
necessary in only two instances to invoke the provisions of
Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, to secure the
compulsory removal of an aged person to a suitable institution.
In two other cases, the Committee's authority was obtained to
apply for a Magistrate's Order, but as the persons concerned
were subsequently persuaded by the Officers of the Public
Health Department to enter an institution voluntarily, it did
not become necessary to take statutory action.
In October of the year under review, the attention of the
Public Health Committee was drawn to the increasing difficulty
of dealing with the problem of soiled bedlinen of incontinent
old people and authority was given for these soiled articles to
he washed at the Council's Disinfecting and Cleansing Station
in approved cases. Assistance of this kind was given in five
instances which came to the notice of the Public Health Department.
The soiled linen was collected twice weekly and the
number of articles dealt with by the end of the year amounted
to 1,519.
There is also a considerable demand for expert attention to
the feet of old people. Unfortunately, there are no local health
authority Chiropody Clinics in the Borough, but Camberwell
residents frequently use one of the foot clinics in the adjoining