View report page

104
HOME HELP SERVICE
Officers
Plans were developed during the year, for implementation in 1970, for the
reorganisation of the service into four instead of three areas as at present, and
for the provision of home help support in the area to be covered by the Pilot
Area Officer (Seebohm), 361 Clapham Road. The fourth home help area office
will be located at Clapham Baths, Clapham Manor Street, and the North area
office will move shortly from Offley Road to 157 South Lambeth Road.
Staff
Organising staff comprised one senior organiser, 3 organisers and 8
assistant organisers assisted by 6 full-time and 1 part-time clerical staff.
Home Visits
There were 9,131 home visits made by organising staff in 1969, compared
with 8,522 made in 1968.
Home Helps
At the end of the year there were 424 Home Helps working in the borough.
This number is the equivalent of 293 full-time Home Helps working a 40-hour
week.
Approximately 560,000 hours were worked in households during the year.
Time spent travelling between households accounted for a further 45,000 hours.
The turnover of staff continued to be high, at about 30%.
During the year 1,987 new applications for the services of a home help
were received, 1,494 households ceased having help and 2,939 households were
receiving help at the end of the year. 91% of patients were aged 65 and over,
5% were chronic sick aged under 65, and the remainder were made up of
maternity, T.B., and various acutely sick people; morning and evening help was
also supplied to families, and special help given for problem'families.
9,243 hours of help were given during the year to 42 families, involving
184 children who, without the support of the home help service, might otherwise
have been received into care. The average cost per child for every week of
service received is £1.
Mrs. E. Wilson
Senior Home Help Organiser