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35
Bathing Facilities
The City Council has made available to old age pensioners facilities
whereby they can have hot baths at the Council's public baths at reduced
charges.
Cleansing of Bed Linen of Elderly and Infirm, Persons
Facilities have also been made available by the Council for the cleansing
of bed linen of elderly and infirm people when it has become fouled and
unwholesome.
Emergency Fuel Supply Service
During the severe winter of 1962-63, which started with the heavy
snow-fall on Boxing Day, 1962, several old people in Westminster found
themselves without solid fuel supplies. An emergency scheme was, therefore,
put into operation whereby 28-lb. bags of solid fuel were obtained
from a coal yard in a neighbouring borough, and were delivered to the
homes of old people in need. The scheme continued until the severe
weather abated, and a total of 187 28-lb. bags of fuel were supplied to
73 old people.
The majority of old persons paid the full basic cost of the fuel, but
in some necessitous cases the cost was met from various philanthropic
sources.
Thanks are due to those members of the staff of the Health Department,
and of the Westminster Old People's Welfare Association, who
undertook this heavy work in very trying conditions.
Health Education
Section 298 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, provides that
". . . a sanitary authority may arrange for the publication of information
on questions relating to health or disease, and for the delivery of lectures,
and the display of pictures (including cinematography displays) in which
such questions are dealt with."
In his Report for the year 1953, the Chief Medical Officer of the
Ministry of Health stated: "Progress (in health education) has now
so far developed that there must be few public health departments in the
country where health education receives indifferent attention . . . Health
education has come to mean something more than a subsidiary function
and responsibility; it is now regarded as a primary activity of local
authorities, which demands sound understanding and wise planning if
it is to attain any reasonable measure of achievement. . .
It is impossible for a local authority department with a modest
budget to compete with the high power advertising which is undertaken