Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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(iii) Claremont Central Mission, White Lion St. N.1.
(iv) Finsbury Mission, Moreland Street, E.C.1.
(ii) Mobile Meals: Aged persons unable, by reason of sickness and
infirmity to attend one of the meal centres, have been supplied with a
hot meal delivered to their home by the 'Invalid Meals of London'.
Until 1958 this voluntary organisation operated in close association
with the Borough Council, and a substantial grant was made to them.
Since then they have operated independently. Their main object is
to supply invalid meals to the sick rather than normal meals to those
who merely, on account of physical infirmity, are unable to go out.
Nevertheless many meals have been supplied to such persons. The service
is however restricted.
Towards the end of 1960* the Finsbury Old people's Welfare committee
decided to undertake experimentally on a small scale, the delivery of
frozen whole meals which only required to be heated in the impervious
envelope in which they are delivered,by placing it in boiling water in
a saucepan for 15 minutes. The idea was that this service might be
valuable for those not within the purview of the 'Invalid Meals of
London', but yet were unable to attend a centre or to cater adequately
for themselvds. The cost to the elderly was one shilling per meal.
Early in 1963 intimation was received from the National Catering
Organisation from whom frozen meals were purchased,that it was intended,
due to the insufficiency of the demand, to discontinue the supply of
such frozen meals as from the end of June 1963. Every effort was made
through the medium of various central organisations to ascertain the
potential over-all demand for such frozen meals with a view to representation
being made to the firm to ensure continuation of supply.
Unfortunately the overall demand at that time was not such as to warrant
the firm altering the decision which they had already made to discontinue
the provision of such frozen meals.
The Council therefore decided to provide a Domiciliary meals
service using fresh cooked meals from the Caterer who provides for the
normal meal service. (The caterer prepares such meals in the kitchens
attached to the Finsbury Town Hall.
The Domiciliary meals service using fresh cooked meals, commenced
on the 1st July 1963, and during the period July to December 1963,
2,512 such meals were served, which altogether with the frozen meals
provided for the period January to June 1963 (namely 3,453) makes a
total number of Domiciliary meals supplied during 1963 5,965 as against
4,941 such meals in 1962.
(c) Nutritional Supplements (F.O.P.W.C.)
The arrangements continued with Messrs. Wander Ltd., Eovril Ltd.,
Marmite Food Extract Co., Ltd., Glaxo Ltd., and Horlicks Ltd..whereby
'Ovaltine' 'Hospital Extract Bovril' , 'Marmite' , 'Jaffa Juice' ,
'Complan' and Horlicks' are supplied to the various organisations
33.