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71
Tuberculosis Care Committee.—The permanent committee
formed last year has met regularly, and below is a very brief statement
supplied by Miss Johnston, the Hon. Secretary, as to its
activities during 1925. Such a statement gives no real indication
as to the volume of work performed, and as a mere matter of fact,
the real care and after-care of the patients is practically carried out
by the Hon. Secretary and the Dispensary Staff. The chief function
of the Committee as a Committee has been to assess the various
cases recommended to the County Council for sanatorium treatment .
By real after-care I mean the visitation of the patients at their
homes, the provision of extra nourishment, the provision of financial
and other assistance, e.g. clothing, bedding, etc., the finding of suitable
employment, and the hundred and one other things which help
and encourage the patient to bear up against his disease so that it
will be realised that the annexed report is far from complete, and is
merely a short record of some of the assistance rendered by various
organisations. Indeed much of the after care work could not be
put into words, but the poor of Greenwich and especially the tuberculous
poor, are under a deep debt of gratitude to Miss Johnston,
the Hon. Secretary who has laboured so incessantly on their behalf.
Miss Johnston reports as follows :—
"During the year assistance was obtained for patients and
their families from various Societies to whom they were referred.
The Charity Organisation Society helped to the extent of
£91 1s. 2d. for six patients, more than half of that amount being
spent upon one patient in the form of an allowance made to supplement
the family income while he was waiting for treatment and then
to help to provide for his wife and four children until he was able to
support them again. Of the other five cases the parents of four
patients contributed £11 13s. 4d. by instalments towards the total
amount spent.
The United Services Fund, through their local Representatives
assisted with £18 4s. 6d. besides taking children into their Homes
while mothers were at sanatorium, and admitting 3 men to their
Home of Rest, Bournemouth. Help was also granted from the
same Fund through their Charlton Branch.
The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust helped through the Sailors,
Soldiers and Airmen's Families Association with grants of clothing
for two patients to the value of £5 and Regimental Funds also
assisted through the Soldiers and Sailors Help Society and the
Families Association.
The Society for the Relief of Distress helped in one case and
private donors gave clothing and in one instance blankets.