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Special Investigation Clinics.
The four clinics held in different parts of the Borough still appear to be meeting a real
need. They are all well-attended and Westway and St. Dunstan's show a continuing increase in
the number of new patients. Children with nocturnal enuresis comprise the majority of the cases
and a great many of these are very successfully treated with alarm bell machines.
There are many cases of obesity among secondary school girls. This trend has been
observed for some years. Both they and their parents are given helpful dietetic advice. Boys of
similar age groups appear to be less inclined to obesity.
An important aspect of these clinics is that there is time for both parents and children to
develop a relationship of confidence with the same team of doctor, social worker and nurse, so
that active co-operation of the patient and the parents can be secured.
Audiology Clinics.
The audiology clinic continues weekly at the Hammersmith School Treatment Centre.
During the past three months the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have started audiology
clinics so we are no longer dealing with children who neither live nor attend schools in Hammersmith,
but an increasing number of children are being referred for suspected deafness by the
doctors in schools and Infant Welfare Clinics within the Borough.
Unfortunately, the staff of Peripatetic Teachers (employed by the Inner London Education
Authority) -as dwindled considerably during the last year and there is now no teacher in attendance
at the clinic. This is particularly regrettable in the case of the very young children for
whom the otologist would like to recommend a period of 'conditioning' in order to make a more
accurate assessment of their hearing. Also, older children with hearing aids are now able only
to have 'follow-up' visits in school by the peripatetic teacher as no regular Auditory Training
sessions are possible.
Close contact is kept with the children in the Deaf and Partially Hearing Units of the
schools and a social worker attends the otologist's sessionsthere.
Contact with hospitals is also maintained in cases where children have been referred
from the clinic for the supply of hearing aids and for operative treatment.
Recuperative Holidays.
Under statutory authority provision was made for recuperative holidays for children in
need of rest, fresh air and good food.
The total number of recommendations was 166. Of this number 138 children actually
went on holiday; there were 28 cancellations by parents.
School medical officers made 85% of these recommendations; the remainder came from
general practitioners and other sources.
SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE.
I am indebted to Mr.C.J. O'Neill, Principal School Dental Officer, for the following
report: —
Introduction: —
A generation or two ago most children attended the dentist for one of two reasons; a
toothache, or an injury to the teeth. If a temporary tooth was decayed and had to be extracted or
was lost by accident or injury what difference did it make, there was always another where that
one came from!
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