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48
Disinfection
Premises are not normally sprayed following cases of the more common infectious diseases unless a definite request is received. During the year seven requests
for formaldehyde disinfection were received from the West London Hospital, 8
from premises following a death and 8 from premises following illness. In most
of the latter requests the illness was not of an infectious nature and spraying was
carried out as a palliative treatment only.
HEALTH LAUNDRY
With the opening of the new laundry on the 8th January routine collections
and deliveries were soon operating once again. So smoothly did the work flow
through the machines that it was difficult to realise at the end of the year that
output was up by 50% of the 1961 figure. The new press has materially assisted
here by reducing the time spent on tedious jobs of drying, ironing and packing.
It has been estimated that the present machines could cope with double the work,
provided the labour force was increased, so that continued expansion for a few
years presents no problem, thanks to the foresight of the Council in providing these
modern mechanical aids.
It is difficult to foresee the trend this service will take. The chronic cases that
persist year after year are the problem, and the ratio of such, over acute cases, has
steadily risen since the inception of the scheme in 1953, the present figure being
2.3 to 1. Approximately one third of the chronic sick remain on the list to be carried
over to the ensuing year. As a result the reduction in collections that formerly
coincided with the staff's annual leave period no longer applies to anything like
the same extent.