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This Association is also most helpful in arranging for Convalescent
Treatment for children in a poor state of health, but not suffering from
any form of tuberculosis, who come to the notice of the Dispensary.
In certain cases the L.C.C. arranges for child contacts of infectious
patients to be educated in one of the Open-Air Schools as it is felt that
closer general supervision at such a school may help to prevent the child
falling a victim to tuberculosis. This is an additional function of the
Open-Air Schools which were primarily intended for cases of quiesccnt
tuberculosis.
During the year 16 children were recommended to the London County
Council for Boarding-out under the "Contact Scheme." 7 contact
children were recommended to the Invalid Children's Aid Association
for Convalescence.
SUPERVISION OF HOME CONDITIONS.
At the beginning of the year the system of tuberculosis home visiting
was re-organised.
In the past the staff of the Dispensary included three tuberculosis
nurses amongst whose duties was the home visiting of all notified cases of
tuberculosis occurring in the Borough. Under the present system there
is only one dispensary nurse who is in attendance at each Clinic. The
home visiting is carried out by the Health Visitors and by this means
reduplication of visiting at any one home is avoided. Reports of all
home visits to tuberculosis patients are handed in to the Dispensary and
records of all such visits are kept by the whole-time dispensary nurse.
The homes are visited at frequent intervals and the Nurses endeavour
to obtain the confidence of the patients and their families and to help
them to so arrange their homes that other members of the family are
subjected as little as possible to infection. At the same time when the
patient is at home they offer suggestions of a simple and commonsense
nature, as to how the patient can obtain the maximum amount of benefit
to his health while living a more or less normal life.
It is also the duty of the visiting nurses to encourage the other
members of the family to present themselves at the Dispensary as
"Contacts" and to a great extent the necessary attendances of contacts
at the Dispensary is dependent on these tactful approaches by the Nurses.
During the year 3,084 such visits were paid.