View report page

129
the management and included the widening of chalet doors to give wheelchairs
easy access, the provision of grab-rails and ramps, and the
asphalting of paths.
The staff on duty throughout the camp holiday included members of
the department from head office, residential homes, coach drivers and
attendants and a volunteer from the British Red Cross Society. Valuable
assistance was also given by the camp staff and local branch of the
Women's Institute.
The total number of people for whom two weeks' holiday was arranged
was 307, of whom the greater majority were elderly, but included some who
were blind and physically handicapped.
The net cost to the Council for all holidays was £1,958.15s.Od.
THE KENSINGTON DAY CENTRE LIMITED.
Close liaison was maintained with the Centre, which has a membership
of 350 elderly and handicapped persons. It is open each week-day and
provides for its members recreational facilities and occupational therapy,
a chiropody service, hairdressing and bathing facilities, a library
service and mid-day meals.
A hydraulic tail-lift coach, with driver, is provided by the Council
to transport the handicapped to and from the Centre.
Attendance is approximately sixty per day serving some three
hundred persons each week.
The work of the Kensington Day Centre makes a significant
contribution to the services provided by the Council and is greatly
appreciated.
OTHER FEATURES OF THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT.
Determination of Liability of Local Authority.
Section 32 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, provides that the
local authority in whose area a person is "ordinarily resident" shall
be responsible for the cost of assistance lawfully provided by any other
local authority. Cases of disagreement are determined by the Minister of
Health. It has not been necessary to date to refer any cases for
arbitration to the Minister, and all cases in doubt have been amicably
resolved.
Registration and Inspection of Voluntary and Private Homes for the
Aged and Infirm.
The National Assistance Act, 1948, Section 26, makes provision for
the accommodation of aged and infirm persons in homes maintained by
voluntary organisations. Section 37 provides for the inspection and
registration, both of voluntary and privately run homes. In the main,
the inspection requirements are that the home shall be satisfactory in
regard to situation, construction, state of repair and cleanliness,
staffing and equipment; that there is an adequate number of rooms,
toilet and bathroom facilities for the numbers accommodated, and that
the home is conducted to provide such services and facilities as may
be considered reasonable for the persons using the home.
At the beginning of the year, the Council had the responsibility