London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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City of Westminster 1925

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]

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51
sanatorium ; also questions as to future employment, decisions as to
Applications for dental treatment and extra nourishment, and assessment
of contributions towards payment for sanatorium treatment provided by
the County Council. Although the Committee has no funds at its disposal
to administer for matters of after-care, assistance has been rendered
in various other ways, and much good has resulted from the discussion
of individual problems and the interchange of views which take place
at its meetings.
XIII.—The question of employment of tuberculous patients, is and
always will be, a most difficult one. As regards ex-service men, a scheme
of co-operation between the War Pensions Committee, the local Labour
Exchange, and the Tuberculosis Officer and the Care Committee has been
drawn up by the Ministries of Labour and Pensions. The object of the
scheme is to ensure that the patient will not return from sanatorium to
home conditions likely to retard his progress, and also if possible to secure
suitable employment for him. The Tuberculosis Officer's advice is
available for the guidance of the officials of the Labour Exchange in
discriminating between occupations which are suitable and those which
are not. The scheme for the treatment and training of ex-service pensioners
for tuberculosis has resulted in two or three patients being placed
in suitable employment, but it is limited in its application to those
who have recovered full earning capacity. The services of the Junior
Advisory Committee of the Education Authority have also been called
upon in the finding of employment for patients who are about to leave
school. The Care Committee have given much consideration to the
problems of employment, and have explored many avenues when
dealing with individual cases. Their efforts have not been entirely
without success, but greater perseverance must be practised in dealing
with this baffling situation if much headway is to be gained.
XIV.—Shelters.—As Westminster is situated right in the heart of
London, vacant space, attached to dwellings of the working-class type,
on which to place shelters is almost unknown. There are a number of
houses with back yards, but as a rule they are much shut in and overlooked
by high buildings. The use of shelters is therefore not practicable
in the City.
XV.—Occupational Incidence of Tuberculosis.—As stated in the
preliminary remarks of this report, there is no evidence to show that any
particular occupation has an influence on the health of the inhabitants.
This area is not in any sense industrial, but there are large numbers, both
males and females, who find employment in the Government offices, in
those of public administrative bodies, of large business concerns, banks.