View report page

28
No funds are available in the hands of the Committee for the assistance of patients.
The Committee met 23 times during the year at the Town Hall, and the attendance of
members has been well maintained. 311 individual cases were considered.
During the year the Committee were instrumental in a number of cases in procuring
through local charities financial or other assistance for patients and their dependants. The
following may be regarded as typical examples of the help so rendered:—
A man aged 47 years was recommended for sanatorium treatment. He had a wife and four children, two
of whom had gained scholarships. Before the case came under notice the patient had been unable to work
for several weeks. In consequence of the reduction of income from £3 to 8s. 0d. a week, debts had accumulated,
and the family had reached a position of acute distress. The Charity Organisation Society were appealed to
for help, which was readily granted in the form of monetary relief for the family and clothing for the patient.
The Society continued their allowance to the family after the patient's admission to sanatorium, where he was
still receiving treatment at the close of the year.
A mother was unable to accept sanatorium treatment until provision had been made for the care of her
three children, aged respectively 8 years. 4½ years, and 14 months. The difficulty of placing them was increased
by the fact that the parents insisted upon the eldest child going to a Convent Home The Charity Organisation
Society undertook to make the necessary arrangements, and eventually found suitable homes for all three
children, leaving the mother free to go away for treatment.
A Signalman in the Royal Navy developed pulmonary tuberculosis and was discharged from the Service
being transferred from a Naval Hospital to a sanatorium for treatment under the London County Council's
Tuberculosis Scheme. Whilst in the Navy he had allotted a portion of his pay to his widowed mother, who
with that aid had been just able to make ends meet. The stopping of the allotment money would have caused
much hardship to the mother had not the Charity Organisation Society, who had already been made aware of
the circumstances, undertaken to make an allowance until other help for her could be obtained.
A 'Bus Conductor, obliged to give up work on account of tuberculosis, had only National Health Insurance
Benefit to look to for the maintenance of himself and his wife, who, suffering from an ulcerated leg, was unable
to do anything towards supplementing their meagre income. It was ascertained that the man had served in the
Army during the War. Application was therefore made to the United Services Fund, with the result that help
was immediately given and a weekly allowance made to the wife when, shortly afterwards, her husband went
away for santaorium treatment.
One of the chief difficulties that the Committee have to contend with is the finding of
employment for patients who have undergone a course of sanatorium treatment and are
certified to be fit for work. It is regretted that the efforts made in this direction during the
year met with but little success.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Health Visitors.
These officers, two in number, work under the control of the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee of the Council. Their duties are :—
(1) To visit the homes of all newly-born children where considered necessary.
(2) To make enquiries concerning stillbirths and deaths of infants and young children.
(3) To visit and give advice to parents in cases of ophthalmia of the new-born, infective
enteritis and other important diseases.
(4) To investigate all cases of puerperal fever.
(5) To investigate applications for the supply of milk to necessitous families.
The Health Visitors do not attend any consultations at the Paddington School for Mothers,
but attend alternately once a fortnight at the Infant Consultation Centre at Queen Charlotte's
Maternity Hospital.
The work performed by the Health Visitors is summarised in the appended tables, which
also show how many infants were breast-fed and other interesting information.
HEALTH VISITING.
Births—
First Visits 2,050
Revisits 2,478
4,528
Ante-natal—
First visits 485
Revisits 328
813