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medico/social grounds. There is usually no difficulty in the admission
to hospital for the treatment of acute conditions.
During the year it was possible to arrange for one hundred and
seventy-five old people to he admitted to hospitals for institutional
treatment and, in addition, ninety-nine cases were admitted to homes for
the aged.
Domiciliary care of "chronic sick"
All the cases on the chronic sick waiting lists of the hospitals
in the borough are referred to the public health department. They are
visited and assessed by the Women Health Officers. Where necessary,
medical care, home nursing, home helps, convalescent holidays, financial
aid and pensions are arranged with the appropriate statutory bodies.
These, together with various services operated by the Council augmented
by voluntary bodies are provided to such good effect that, in many cases,
the need for hospital admission is postponed indefinitely. The number
of "chronic sick" visits during the year totalled six hundred and seven.
Laundry
At present no direct authority exists for the Council to provide
a laundry service, as such, for old people. Section 122 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1936, enables the Council to cause any article in
the house to be cleansed, disinfected or destroyed, if it is in such a
filthy, dangerous or unwholesome condition that health is affected or
endangered thereby. The cleansing of grossly fouled bedding in cases of
incontinence may be dealt with under this Section.
To comply with the legal requirements, the Council have given
a general authority to the Medical Officer of Health to take whatever
action appears to him to be necessary under the terms of Section 122 of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
In fifty-nine cases action was taken under the Section. The
bedding was marked, laundered at the Council's disinfecting station and
returned to the old people. The scheme works smoothly and appears to
fill a much felt want. From stocks of bedding held, the Council are able
to supply linen and bedding on loan to old people while their own is being
laundered, and where possible voluntary organisations are asked to
undertake replacements of much worn articles.
During the year seven hundred and sixteen separate collections
of laundry were made under this scheme, and the number of articles
cleansed totalled nine thousand, three hundred and fifty-two.
Library Facilities
The Libraries Committee co-operate in providing books for old
people confined to their homes., The circulation of the books is effected
by the Women's Voluntary Services mobile library.
Chiropody
During the year, the Council made a grant of £96 to the
Kensington Council of Social Service for the purpose of enabling the
provision of a chiropody service for house-bound old people.
All patients are referred by the Medical Officer of Health to
the Council of Social Service which administers the financial aspect of
the scheme. The British Red Cross Society arrange the treatments,
including providing the chiropodists and making the appointments.