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Chest Clinics
Tuberculosis
There are three chest clinics in the borough: Bermondsey Health Centre, 108
Grange Road, S.E.I, St. Giles' Hospital, St. Giles' Road, S.E. 5 and Health Services
Department, Larcom Street, S.E. 17. The Council reimburses the hospital service a
portion of the salary of the Chest Physician and employs health visitors, social
workers (chest clinics) and occupational therapists to carry out its functions. These
include advice and assistance with personal, domestic, occupational and hygiene
problems, domiciliary visits to ascertain contacts; and the provision in necessitous
cases, on recommendation of the Chest Physician, of extra nourishment (milk, butter
and eggs): during the year the number of persons granted extra nourishment fell
from 39 to 34.
Occupational therapists conduct diversional therapy classes at the chest clinics,
and/or visit the homes of patients who are housebound, to provide interesting and
profitable working hobbies. The arrangements are made by the voluntary committee
but the instructors are provided and paid by the I.L.E.A. as part of the evening
institute teaching arrangements.
At the request of the Chest Physician, the Council arranges for the boarding
out of a child contact if the child is exposed to infection in its own home, or the
parent(s) are receiving residential treatment for tuberculosis and cannot arrange
privately for the care of the child: 7 children were boarded out. If necessary,
children are segregated from infectious homes during B.C.G. vaccination. Every possible
alternative form of care is considered before a child is sent away from home,
e.g. day nursery, child minder etc., as prolonged absence from the family may cause
a child to suffer.
Voluntary care committees operate in association with chest clinics. In the
main, their funds are obtained from voluntary contributions, sales of work and
Christmas seals. During 1965 these committees gave most valuable assistance such
as clothing, bedding, holidays etc., to patients who were not eligible to receive them
from official sources.
There is no hostel for homeless infective tuberculous men in the Borough but
when necessary a hostel elsewhere in London or in the British Legion Village, Maidstone,
Kent, is used by special arrangement. Selected patients are also sent to village
settlements for industrial rehabilitation.
Where there is urgent need to reduce the danger of infection arising from
inadequate housing accommodation, the Council awards special housing preference
to such cases.
Recuperative holidays are provided for tuberculous patients who have recently
been ill or where a breakdown appears likely.
As with other matters in this report, statistics for previous years for the new
area of the Borough were not easily available. There were fewer cases of pulmonary
and non-pulmonary tuberculosis being dealt with at Chest Clinics during 1965 but
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