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
Kensington 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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11
Home Helps.
The Council's scheme for the provision of home helps for
mothers during confinement, which has been in operation since
1920, was extended during 1944 to enable home helps to be granted
to mothers who, for reasons of ill health at any time, are
temporarily unable to look after their young children.
Home helps were supplied in 395 cases at a cost of
£1,935.7s.3d. Contributions by applicants towards the cost
of help provided amounted to £628.0s.9d.
Domestic Helps.
The Council's scheme, under Defence Regulation 68 E, for the
provision of domestic help to sick or infirm persons continued in
operation during the year, and, as the service became more widely
known, the demand for assistance steadily increased. The
principal functions of the Council are:-
(a) To appoint, and maintain a register of, domestic
helpers available for work at any time, and to
arrange for their payment;
(b) To determine who are the most urgent of the
applicants for help; and
(c) To assess what part of the cost of the help provided
should be recovered from each household and to secure
its payment.
The following is a summary of the action taken during 1947:-
| Applications. | |
|---|---|
| New applications received | 340 |
| Refused as being unsuitable for help | 4 |
| Withdrawn by applications | 37 |
| Number in which help was given | 299 |
| Reasons for giving help. | |
| Chronic illness in aged persons | 54 |
| Other chronic invalids | 47 |
| Acute illnesses, accidents, etc | 91 |
| Before admission to or after discharge from hospital | 50 |
| Debilitated housewives | 57 |
| Period for which help given. | |
| One week or less | 48 |
| One to two weeks | 64 |
| Two to four weeks | 109 |
| Over four weeks | 73 |
| Costs. | |
| Full cost paid by applications | 95 |
| Part „ „ „ „ | 89 |
| Full cost paid by Council | 115 |
Cost to Council - £3,352.12s.1d.
Contributions by applicants- £503. 2s.1d.
Day Nurseries.
The four day nurseries, which wore established during the
war, were maintained by the Council in full operation during 1947.
The following table shows the total number of attendances of
children at each nursery during the year:-