View report page

COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES
Advisory and Preventive Clinics for the Over Sixties
These clinics provide facilities for a general examination of elderly people and
tests are made for haemoglobin estimation, blood pressure, urine, hearing and vision.
No treatment is given but the results of the tests together with a report on the physical
examination are sent to the general practitioner. All persons attending the clinic for
the first time are referred for a mass X-ray and if they are unable to attend on their
own, transport is arranged for them. Advice is also given on maintaining standards of
health and hygiene and on benefits and aids available to them.
A fifth clinic was opened in November and during the year 211 sessions were
held and there were 738 attendances.
T.B. Care and After-Care—Adult Cases.
The Council has no hostel for tuberculous persons, but, by arrangement, uses
the facilities provided by other London Boroughs or private homes or hostels run by
voluntary organisations. At 1 January, 1971 there were 15 men boarded out; 1 was
placed during the year, and 8 were still in care at 31 December, 1971.
Medical Arrangements for Long Stay Immigrants
In order to deal with some of the special problems arising from the arrival of a
growing number of long term immigrants the Ministry of Health in 1965 made certain
arrangements to ensure that they learned of the National Health Service and how it
should be used, including registering on a 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. 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 a
public health inspector.
During the year, 308 advice notes of arrivals were received and 126 "first" successful
visits were made.
Nursing Homes
There are two nursing homes in the Borough registered under the provisions of
Part IV of the Public Health Act, 1936, and the Nursing Homes Act, 1963; neither is
registered under the Abortion Act, 1967. A senior medical officer continued to visit
and advise the matrons on aspects of health, hygiene, prevention of accidents and
other matters.
33