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75
Shelters and Beds.
Provision is made by the Council for the loan, in suitable cases,
of shelters for the use of patients to enable them to sleep in their
gardens. In addition, two shelters are available at Southlands,
adjoining the dispensary, for use during the day by patients selected
by the Tuberculosis Officer. These patients may obtain dinners
at a small cost.
Arrangements are also made for the supply by the Council of
beds and bedding in necessitous cases.
Extra Nourishment.
The amount expended by the Council during the financial
year ended 31st March, 1937, upon the provision of extra nourishment
for 86 necessitous patients upon the Dispensary books was
£250 7s. 9d.
Dispensary Statistics.
On pages 137 to 142 will be found Form T. 145, which contains
the returns required by the Ministry of Health of the work of the
Dispensary during the year 1936, and Form T. 145a, which shows
in a summarised form the condition of all patients whose case
records were in possession of the Dispensary at the end of 1936,
arranged according to the years in which the patients first came
under public medical treatment for pulmonary and non-pulmonary
tuberculosis.
The Tuberculosis Care Committee.
This Committee, the constitution of which is set out on page 2,
met fortnightly throughout the year at the Dispensary.
The following is a summary of the work carried out by the
Committee during 1936 :—
Battersea Borough Council—extra nourishment, 169 ;
dentures, 2 171
Public Assistance Committee—financial assistance, 27 ;
clothing, 9 ; dentures, 6 ; other assistance, 8 50
Charity Organisation Society—financial assistance, 4 ;
clothing, 1; other assistance, 1 6
British Legion—financial assistance, 4 ; clothing 1 5
Other Agencies—financial assistance, 6 6
Training and Employment—Suitable agencies, 2 2
The following are some illustrations of the work done by the
Care Committee throughout the year:—
A.L., aged 40. A railway porter and ex-service man. Too ill to
work and only income 15s. National Health Insurance benefit, from
which he had to pay 9s. 0d. per week for rent and keep a wife and young
baby. An elderly relative was also partially dependent on him.