London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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HOME HELP SERVICE
The demands on the home help service continued to increase as is shown by the
figures below. The increase was of the order of 1 % in the number of households
being served at the end of the year, the rate of increase being less than that of the
previous year (2.5 per cent.). This is to be expected since the service mainly caters
for the elderly, and the proportion of such people within the population is at the
moment increasing by about 2½% per annum.
During the year the pressure at Rushey Green was lessened by the opening of a
fourth office at Grove Park, the case load there being made comparable to that at
the other home help office.
Table 28
CASES RECEIVING SERVICE AS AT 31st DECEMBER 1968 (1967 figures in brackets)
| Office | Maternity | Tuberculosis | Age 65 and over | Aged under 65 Chronic sick | Others | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deptford Town Hall New Cross Road, S.E.14 | — | 2 | 612 | 42 | 5 | 661 |
| 41 Rushey Green, S.E.6 | 1 | 5 | 779 | 92 | 8 | 885 |
| 266 Kirkdale, Sydenham, S.E.26 | 4 | 11 | 777 | 57 | 24 | 873 |
| 354 Baring Road, S.E.12 | 1 | 8 | 714 | 72 | 18 | 813 |
| Totals | 6 (11) | 26 (31) | 2,882 (2,739) | 263 (278) | 55 (47) | 3,232 (3,106) |
No. of home helps at end of 1968:—(a) Whole time 6 (7)
(b) Part time 651 (646)
45