View report page

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE ARRANGEMENTS
The Council continued to use the Admissions and Doctors' Inquiry Service situated in the Whittington
Hospital. The service deals with calls for health services after office hours, at week-ends and during bank
holidays. This service is shared with the London Boroughs of Camden and Haringey. Details of the calls dealt
with are as follows:
1972 1971
Domiciliary Midwifery 224 254
Home Nursing 543 435
Infectious diseases
Other 696 292
Totals 1.463 981
EMERGENCY TRANSPORT
Midwives were able to make use of special car hire facilities.
CO-OPERATION WITH SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Inter-departmental meetings of senior staff of the two departments are held at approximately threes
monthly intervals to discuss matters of common concern and have proved to be most useful to all concerned.
Residential establishments for children are visited regularly by a senior medical officer. The premises
and the children's medical records are inspected and informal advice is given to the houseparents on hygiene
and other related matters. Children who are handicapped or are at risk of developing a handicap are followed
up and, where appropriate, a report from a hospital consultant is obtained. The senior medical officer's
reports on the homes are passed to the Director of Social Services for his consideration.
Ninety such visits were made during 1972.
Residential establishments for the elderly are also visited by a senior medical officer accompanied by
a senior public health inspector. Eight such visits were made in 1972.
The assistance of this department is sought in preliminary enquiries about Islington residents who have
applied to adopt or foster a child. The health visitor for the district is asked if she knows the family and if
so to submit a report.
GRANTS TO VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS
During 1972, the Council used its powers, under the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, to
authorise the payment of the following grants to organisations providing or furthering the development of
personal health services.
Service Voluntary Organisation Grant 1972/73
Maternity and Child Health North Islington Infant Welfare Centre 27,188
Prevention of Illness Chest and Heart Association 10.50
Care and After-Care Islington Chest and Tuberculosis Care Committee 350
Action on Smoking and Health Limited 10
Health Education Council 443
LAUNDRY SERVICES
The laundry service for incontinent persons is provided from Finsbury Health Centre and during the
year 3,812 collections of laundry were made. The service was being provided to approximately 182 persons
sjt the end of the year, and as indicated earlier in my report, most of them are elderly.
76