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In this respect, during the current year, 1,348 baths were given
to dirty or verminous elderly persons at the Cleansing Station and
2,017 home baths were effected. Figures for the previous year
were 538 and 1,499 respectively and in 1960 the figures were 544
and 1,287.
Laundry Service.—Under Section 122 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1936, the Council is empowered to cause to be
cleansed " any articles which are filthy, dangerous or unwholesome
and liable to affect or endanger health." Advantage has been taken
not only of this section but also Sections 124 and 194 to introduce a
laundry service in order to deal suitably with what has always been
a major problem, namely, the treatment of badly soiled clothes,
bed-linen, etc., from the homes of elderly people.
Cases in need of such assistance are brought to the notice of the
department by Hospitals, District Nurses, Doctors and by ordinary
routine investigation of complaints.
From the Council's limited stocks of bedding and clothing it is
possible in certain circumstances for temporary supplies of linen,
etc., to be made to people whose own is being laundered, and
co-operation with voluntary organisations often results in the repair
or replacement of outworn articles.
By the end of the year the laundry service, supervised by the
Lady Public Health Inspector, had been extended to 222 separate
individuals and during the current year, the staff at the Cleansing
Station have dealt with 44,777 articles which were collected,
laundered and delivered.
New Cleansing and Bathing Centre
This new cleansing and bathing centre opened on 26th October,
1961, provides for the logical development of services for the elderly
citizens of Greenwich which were commenced on a modest scale in
September, 1954. In that year about 5,000 articles from aged, infirm
and incontinent persons were being laundered per annum and a few
carefully selected patients were bathed either in their own homes
or at the old premises. There was, at that time, one ordinary
domestic washing machine in use and laundry and bathing duties
were being performed by one lady attendant. By 1960, such was
the expansion that over 30,000 articles were laundered and nearly
2,000 baths were given in that year. The staff had been increased
to the equivalent of four full-time attendants who were by then
using four large capacity domestic washing machines.