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RECUPERATIVE HOLIDAYS.
The provision of recuperative holidays for persons classified as
"other adults", who are mainly elderly persons, continued to show the
increasing trend noted last year. There has additionally been a sharp
increase in the number of holidays provided for children, mainly for
those of school age. This increase occurred during the first half of
the year and is probably a consequence of the biennial measles epidemic
which occurred during the 1966/67 winter months.

CHIROPODY.
Difficulties continued to be experienced in keeping the level of
staff needed for the number of sessions to meet the demand for treatment
and to maintain a reasonable interval between treatments of individual
patients. The staffing establishment of five full-time chiropodists
would have been adequate, but it was not possible to secure any degree
of permanency of appointment to three of the positions.
Originally, the establishment provided for a chief chiropodist,
one senior chiropodist and three chiropodists but, as much of their
work was carried out on their own responsibility at separate
establishments, this was varied to one chief chiropodist and four
senior chiropodists. This provided an opportunity of offering more
attractive remuneration. Four appointments were made during the year,
none of which lasted for more than six months, and the three regraded
positions have virtually remained unfilled. Sessional staff have been
employed but, even so, it was not possible to meet the deficiency in
full. It was necessary for two centres to be completely closed at
various times, totalling five weeks in all.
A further strain on staffing resources arose out of the need to
provide service for patients living in the Earls Court area. The
private chiropodist who was providing treatment at his surgery in that
area for patients referred by the Council gave up his practice in
January, 1967. and a new clinic attended by one of the Council's
chiropodists was then opened in accommodation in a welfare services
establishment at 144 Earls Court Road. This clinic opened with one
session weekly, and was later increased to two.