View report page

285
Wheels fleet during the midday period. By the end of the year
six minibuses were filling the dual role set out above and were on
a 100% usage.
Delivery was taken during the current year of a new Tail-lift
Coach with a seating capacity of 19 handicapped people plus two
wheel-chairs. Various permutations can be made with the seating,
increasing the maximum capacity for wheel-chair carriage to five.
This latest addition to the fleet was immediately put into use to
serve the new Well Hall Combined Centre and thereby brings the
number of coaches available for this kind of task to a total of six.
Such transport is most expensive to operate for, owing to the
peculiar nature of the work undertaken, a certain amount of
"stand-by" time is inevitable. Moreover, voluntary help to undertake
commitments for the transporting of physically handicapped
during normal working hours is becoming progressively more
difficult to enlist. The shortage of volunteers is reflected in the
increasing number of requests for transport assistance being
received from the various voluntary organisations using these types
of vehicles.
Meals on Wheels
Demand for this service is growing and in order to contain and
then reduce the waiting list it was decided to increase the number
of rounds operating by two to a total of 19.
Despite the fact that our departmental transport is based upon
empiricism in that, over the years, the most practical and efficient
methods have been evolved, nevertheless, its operation is under constant
surveillance with a view to effecting any savings commensurate
with its efficacy as a service to the community. However,
in common with all present-day public and private transport, rising
costs are continually nullifying the savings achieved. It is only by
adopting a system of complete interchangeability between vehicles
of all sections of the Directorate in connection with breakdowns,
servicing, accident repairs, etc., that costs can be kept to a minimum.
In the few instances where commitments of short duration
are found to be uneconomical, resort is had to private hire.
POST-ENTRY TRAINING
In 1970, 24 members of staff successfully passed professional or
administrative examinations and 47 officers embarked upon examination
courses during the year, including 5 social workers and
3 mental health training centre staff who were granted secondment
for full-time study courses of one or two years duration.