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V isiting of Elderly Persons
During the year, the social worker of the Westminster Old People's
Welfare Association continued to assist in the welfare visiting of old
people, the salary and expenses of this officer being reimbursed by the
City Council by way of grant to the Association under Section 136 of the
Local Government Act, 1948.
In April, 1964, the City Council agreed that a Welfare Worker should
be appointed to the staff of the Public Health Department for duties
connected with the welfare of old people in Westminster. This officer
commenced duty in September, 1964, and between then and the end of
the year undertook 375 visits to elderly persons in the City.
In addition, there were occasions when a visit by a medical officer
or public health inspector was required, because of their specialist
knowledge or statutory powers; a total of 472 such visits were made
during the year.
Aged Persons in Need of Care and Attention
Under the provisions of the National Assistance Acts, a Medical
Officer of Health is empowered to apply to the Courts for an order for the
compulsory removal to a hospital or other suitable place, of persons who
are suffering from grave chronic disease or, being aged, infirm or physically
incapacitated, are living in insanitary conditions and unable to devote
to themselves, and are not receiving from others, proper care and
attention.
Several cases of this kind were investigated by the medical officers
during 1964 but in only one instance was it found necessary to resort
to these compulsory powers.
In this case, the patient was an old man of some 90 years living alone
in one room on the ground floor of a house at the rear of a second-hand
furniture shop, his room being cluttered with unsold furniture, books
and ornaments. All offers of assistance were refused and as his condition
was obviously deteriorating the necessary action had to be taken to
remove him compulsorily to hospital. He died within a few days of
admission, the cause of death being broncho-pneumonia.
Housing Statistics
1. Inspection of Dwelling-houses during the year
(1) (a) Number of initial inspections of dwelling-houses for
housing defects (under Public Health or Housing Acts) 4,172
(6) Number of reinspections 4,803
(2) (a) Number of dwelling-houses which were examined in the
course of "house-to-house" inspection and recorded
under the Housing Consolidated Regulations, 1925 37
(6) Number of reinspections 88