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HOUSING
A very close co-operation has developed between the Housing Department and the
Health Department, where a Senior Medical Officer spends at least one session
each week with a senior officer of the Housing Department in order to assess the
housing applications supported by medical certificates. The medical certificates are
supplied by the housing applicants' general practitioners or by hospital doctors.
During the year all housing applications from the old Borough of Lewisham had to
be repointed and all those from the old Borough of Deptford had to be pointed, as
no points system had existed previously in Deptford. About 5,000 housing applications
supported by medical evidence were dealt with during the year. Medical
evidence received in support of transfer of tenants to other Council accommodation
has been discussed and assessed for approximately 500 cases.
It is often difficult to decide how many points are to be allocated for any particular
ailment, but as long as the points are allocated consistently so that all similar conditions
are given the same number of points, all applicants are given a fair deal.
In cases of emergency where the points system could never get a family re-housed,
the applicants have been referred to the Housing Committee as special cases on the
recommendation of the Senior Medical Officer. All the cases referred to in this way
have been given the O.K for rehousing by the Committee.
A lecture, called "Method of Assessment of Families for re-housing", has been
given to the Public Health Inspectors, Mental Health Workers, Health Visitors,
and to Social Workers in the Welfare Department.