London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Camberwell 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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35
Applications for Rehousing on Medical Grounds
One hundred and forty-four housing applications were
referred by the Director of Housing during the year for
assessment of priority on medical grounds. Following the
usual practice an inspection was made of the applicant's
present accommodation in every case and details entered
on the special form which was then sent to the general
practitioner for a confidential report. From this information
the degree of priority (if any) was assessed and a
suitable recommendation forwarded to the Director of Housing.
The following table summarises the cases dealt with during
1960 and shows the medical conditions and degrees of priority
recommended:-
MEDICAL PRIORITIES FOR REHOUSING 1960
| Medical Condition | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 | Category 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reccomdn | Reccomdn | Reccomdn | Reccomdn | |||||
| G.P. | M.O.H. | G.P. | M.O.H. | G.P. | M.O.H. | G.P. | M.O.H. | |
| Tuberculosis | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
| Bronchitis and/ or Asthma | 6 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 15 | – | 1 |
| Other Respirator Conditions | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | – | – |
| Heart Conditions | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| Physical Disabilities (bad legs, etc) | – | – | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | – | – |
| Nervous Disorders | 7 | 1 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 5 |
| Rheumatic Conditions | – | – | 8 | 5 | 2 | 5 | – | – |
| Other Medical Conditions | 6 | 4 | 23 | 13 | 12 | 22 | 1 | 3 |
There were three instances where friction was reported
between tenants living in the same house, and one of these
involved a coloured family. Pecommendations for the
provision of ground floor accommodation numbered 15, and
there were 3 recommendations for an exchange to smaller
accommodation.