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Multiple Occupation must be set up and this was made possible by the appointment
of two temporary Public Health Inspectors in December.
It is important that the practice of over-occupation of houses be stopped
before it becomes out of control The law needs strengthening so that
houses suitable for multiple occupation can be registered before re-occupation,
as the nuisance is made worse by owners, many being recent immigrants, who
purchase old property when vacant and proceed to let each room separately.
Welfare.
The Welfare Section of the department dealing with Old People's problems
is now well established and nearly a 1,000 cases are registered with the
department. The regular routine visiting and checking of living conditions
and welfare is maintained. At the same time every effort is made to discover
new cases where assistance is required. The auxiliary services of Home Bathing
and Incontinent Laundry Service are being utilised to their full capacity.
The Annual Holiday under the supervision of the Welfare Officer, arranged
by the Mayor, was extremely successful and enjoyed immensely by the participants.
Clean Air.
The area of the Borough now under Clean Air Zones amounts to 428 acres.
A further Order affecting 501 acres comes into operation on the 1st July, 1964,
and, in addition, preparations are in hand for the survey and representation
of further areas in 1965 which will bring the greater part of the Borough
under Control.
During the year Poplar Borough Council was one of the authorities cooperating
with the College of General Practitioners in an endeavour to
ascertain whether there was any correlation in varying levels of air pollution
and the incidence of respiratory disease.
The department was also able to participate in a special investigation
in connection with crossinfection in hospital wards. During research carried
out by the Hospital Group Pathologist vent lation studies were conducted,
using an electrostatic precipitator, primarily with a view to eliminating
bacteria. It was fortunate that the apparatus was working during the smog, the
haze producing particles of which were completely eliminated by the precipitator,
with tremendous advantage to patients with bad chests in the ward as
compared with those in other parts of the hospital not treated. We were able
to demonstrate with volumetric sulphur dioxide apparatus that in spite of the
clinical advantage to chest patients this was achieved without removal of the
sulphur dioxide as the level recorded inside the ward was, if anything, slightly
higher than that outside.
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