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arrangements to ensure that they learned of the National Health Service and how it
should be used, including registering on the list of a general medical practitioner in the
area of intended residence and having a chest X-ray if necessary. A card, giving this
information in several languages is handed out to immigrants at sea and air ports of
arrival, where medical inspectors or port medical officers ascertain destination addresses
and notify the appropriate medical officers of health, so that follow-up visits can be
made. These are carried out by health visitors or in the case of single male immigrants by
public health inspectors.
During the year, 482 advice notes of arrivals were received and 273 "first" successful
visits made.
One of the provisions of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 gave immigration
authorities discretion to arrange for the medical examination of any immigrant at the
point of entry and to require any immigrant as a condition of entry to report to a
medical officer of health with a view to any necessary treatment being arranged. Only
one referral was made to Southwark under this provision.
Nursing Homes
There are only two nursing homes in the Borough registered under the provisions of
Part VI of the Public Health Act, 1936, and the Nursing Homes Act, 1963. A senior
medical officer continued to visit the homes and advised the matrons on aspects of health,
hygiene, prevention of accidents and other matters; neither is registered under the
Abortion Act, 1967.
Blind and Partially-Sighted
During the year, the Council's consultant ophthalmologist carried out 213 examinations
of blind and partially-sighted persons under the provisions of Section 29 of the
National Assistance Act, 1948. In addition B.D.8. certificates were received from
hospitals and other local authorities.
The figures for 1968 were as follows:
Number of examinations arranged 213
Initial examinations 98
Re-examinations 115
Number certified as blind 66
Number certified as partially-sighted 146
Number found to be neither blind nor partially-sighted 1
Blind certificates accepted from hospitals 32
Partially-sighted certificates accepted from hospitals 17
Blind certificates accepted from other local authorities 14
Partially-sighted certificates accepted from other L.A.'s 2
Chiropody
This Council provides a chiropody service for the elderly, the physically handicapped,
school children and expectant and nursing mothers. The Council does not itself provide a
domiciliary service but arrangements are made with the London Ambulance Service for
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