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MEDICINAL BATHS & DISINFECTING STATION
Owing to the Disinfecting Station of the Kensington Borough
Council being put temporarily out of action during November, 1940,
and to representations from the Minister of Health that local
authorities should consider the adequacy of their arrangements for
dealing with a possible increase in the number of verminous persons
requiring treatment, the Council decided to set up their own Medicinal
Baths and Disinfecting Station. The Minister of Health having stated
that considerable expenditure should not be incurred on such a project
during the war, the scheme had necessarily to be of an economical and
improvised nature.
For the Medicinal Baths, two cubicles on each side of the Kensal
Road Slipper Baths were utilised, and two attendants were engaged.
Although this arrangement had obvious drawbacks, it has worked more
satisfactorily than was expected. These baths were opened on the
26th April 1941, and have since coped with ever increasing demands.
They are now working almost to their full capacity, and should the
increase in the number of persons requiring treatment persist, it may
become necessary to extend the baths by taking over more cubicles, and
engaging additional staff.
For the Disinfecting Station, the disused mortuary attached to
the Kensal Road Baths was adapted. The necessary apparatus was ordered
but the Ministry of Health subsequently offered the loan of a bed disinfector;
this offer was accepted, the purchase of special plant being
abandoned; The apparatus has worked very satisfactorily since being
installed, but its design is such that the Station cannot have a "clean"
and a "dirty" side. This is a serious short-coming, acceptable only as
a var-time measure.
The willingness of the driver of the disinfecting van to undertake
disinfection work, and the assistance given by two of the First Ail
Post personnel during occasional absences of the regular attendants has
made it possible, up to the present, to avoid increasing the staff.
Valuable help has also been given by the Baths Superintendent and his
staff in getting the scheme under way.
The agreement with Kensington Borough Council for disinfection
work and treatment of verminous persons was terminated on the 31st July,
In addition to the advantage of having Medicinal Baths and a Disinfecting
Station in the Borough, there will most likely be a decrease in
annual expenditure on this service in the future, in spite of the considerable
increase of work owing to war conditions.