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SECTION VII
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES
REPORT OF THE
PRINCIPAL SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER
The Inner London Education Authority is responsible for the
School Health Service but, by virtue of an agreement required by
Section 32 of the London Government Act, 1963, there is joint use
by the Authority and the Borough of professional staff, premises
and equipment. The Medical Officer of Health is the Principal
School Medical Officer of the Inner London Education Authority
for the area and is responsible to that Authority for the day-to-day
running of the service.
Introduction
In presenting the 1971 Report on the Health Services for school
children in the London Borough of Greenwich, the format continues
as in previous years. Supported by ad hoc clinics, the School
Health Service consists of routine and special medical inspections.
The statistics and tabular records set out as hitherto show yet
another year of satisfactory progress.
Of the 40,587 pupils attending the Education Authority's schools
in Greenwich during 1971, 37.6% (15,255) underwent routine
medical inspection and a further 29.4% (11,952) were reviewed
in non-routine examinations. On average, each full-time School
Medical Officer engaged in the work of the School Health Service
in Greenwich carried out 3,944 inspections. This was surpassed by
only one other Inner London Borough and was greatly in excess
of the average 2,957 Inspections per School Medical Officer
returned for the Education Authority's area as a whole. On such
occasions parents were invited to attend and, although acceptances
amounted only to 58.5% (a figure slightly in advance of
those for 1970), nevertheless, this proportion was second only to
that of one other Inner London Borough. Again, it was parents
of children attending Infant Schools who predominated.
Pupils whose physical condition at routine inspections was considered
unsatisfactory numbered 189 (1.24%) which compares
favourably with the figure of 294 (1.80%) for the previous year.
Of the children examined, some 2,579 were referred for treatment
or observation; 1,139 (44.1%) were for defects of vision. This figure
is well below the average for Inner London. The remainder of the
cases referred consisted mainly of defects of the skin, ear, nose