View report page

68
By arrangement with the Divisional Medical Officer of the London County
Council, housebound persons requiring treatment were referred to the London
County Council Health Services Foot Clinic at Finsbury Health Centre, Pine Street,
E.C.I, with a view to treatment there, with conveyance by L.C.C. ambulance.
Before being referred in this way a domiciliary call is made by a visitor from this
Department.
Public Health (London) Act, 1936—Section 122.
Cleansing and Laundry Service.
1. Incontinent Elderly Persons in the Borough. This free service has proved to
be of great benefit to those recommended for it. Bed-clothing and bed-linen are
collected and delivered to Essex Road Baths by this Department's vehicle and are
there cleansed by the Department's bathing attendants in plant on hire from the
Baths and Washhouses Department. Requests for assistance come from the North
London District Nursing Association, General Practitioners, Hospitals, etc., and
are investigated by the Old People's Health Officer. As provided in Section 122
of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, cases dealt with are those where it is
considered that the soiled articles are filthy, dangerous or unwholesome, and that
health might be affected or endangered thereby.
Relevant statistics for the year are as follows :—
No. of recipients approved 65
No. of washings carried out 1,200
No. of articles cleansed 10,404
2. Holborn Borough Council. The agreement whereby clothing and bedclothes
of incontinent elderly persons in Holborn Borough can be dealt with at the Islington
laundry, has continued. This scheme commenced in December, 1955, and during
1957 sixteen recipients had 157 washings comprising 1,619 articles.
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1953—Section 43.
Cleansing of Elderly Persons.
As recorded in my last Annual Report, arrangements were made in accordance
with Section 43 of the above Act for domiciliary cleansing of aged persons where
they were so enfeebled as to be unable to avail themselves of facilities at the
Cleansing Station. Details of this service for the year are as follows :—
No. of baths given at home 1,016
No. of persons concerned 66
The work was carried out under the supervision of the Nurse-in-Charge of the
Council's Cleansing Station.
PUBLIC MORTUARY
By agreement with the St. Pancras Borough Council the use of the Council's
Mortuary was discontinued as and from 31st March, 1949, all bodies being received
at the St. Pancras Mortuary, Camley Street, N.W.I, after that date.
ISLINGTON CREMATORIUM
The Medical Referee or the Deputy Medical Referee certified a total of 496
applications for cremation at the Council's Crematorium, East Finchley.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE SERVICES
The London County Council, as the Local Health Authority, is responsible for
the Maternity and Child Welfare Services in the Borough, which, together with the
Boroughs of Finsbury and Holborn, constitute Division 3. I am indebted to Dr.
Wilfrid G. Harding, Divisional Medical Officer, for the information given overleaf
in respect of these services :—