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Centre, where a Fire Prevention Officer from Chelsea Fire Station lectured on the misuse of
oil heaters. A display of the latest types of oil heaters and guards available was shown,
and the local press were provided with an article on the correct use of these heaters.
(2) Developmental Examination of Children.—Dr. D. Egan of the Greater London Council
lectured, with the aid of three interesting films, including one from a recent B.B.C. Television
programme, on this important topic of Child Health. This project was arranged in the
northern and southern areas of the City and was well attended by local General Practitioners,
hospital staff and the Department's medical and nursing staff.
Mothercraft/Parentcraft Classes.—Evening sessions are now being held in three of the City Council's
welfare centres where a number of fathers attend and take an active part in the discussions. Further
publicity is being arranged for these classes through the City Librarian who has agreed to display
posters and notices in the Libraries publicizing such classes.
Translation of Leaflets.—In view of the increasing demand for literature for non-English speaking
immigrants, the Health Department has arranged, through the appropriate Embassies in London,
the translation of leaflets on infant feeding, phenylketonuria, and venereal diseases, into Spanish,
Italian and French.
Home-Safety.—In conjunction with the Public Control Committee, representatives of the Health
Department participated in the National Home Safety Conference in London, and meetings of the
Area 10 Sub-Committee. Home-Safety advice is given by health visitors and public health inspectors
during their normal visits to homes. The Health Department arranges the distribution to its own
establishments and to other Departments of campaign material received from the Royal Society for
the Prevention of Accidents.
City Council Day Nurseries
There are eight Day Nurseries in Westminster administered by the Health Department, providing
accommodation for 450 children. Training facilities are provided at five nurseries, where students
are trained for the examination of the Nursery Nurses Examination Board of the Royal Society of
Health.
Day Nursery accommodation is provided for children under five years of age where the child has
only one parent who has to go to work; where the mother is in poor health and cannot care adequately
for her child; where home circumstances are detrimental to the health of the child and where the
mother is compelled to go out to work as an economic necessity. In addition to offering free places
to severely subnormal children, the City Council has been able to introduce another valuable service
by admitting children, who fail to make progress, for a period of observation and assessment.
Occasionally, children are admitted at the discretion of the Medical Officer of Health in order to permit
professional persons, e.g. women doctors and teachers, to return to their work of national importance.
With each new application a report is made on the family by the Health Visitor and endorsed by
one of the Council's medical officers. Families are assessed to pay according to their means when the
child is admitted and the circumstances reviewed at regular intervals.
The City Council operates the "family grouping" system at the nurseries and to foster this family
atmosphere, staff are encouraged to take their meals with the children.
In April, 1965, the Ministry of Health asked all local Health Authorities to review their arrangements
for providing Day Nurseries, particularly in regard to accommodation and staffing ratios.
So far as concerns the accommodation and facilities provided at the City Council's Day Nurseries,
some minor improvements were necessary, such as the provision of additional wash hand basins and
lavatories. Staffing improvements made as a result of the Ministry's revised proposals were the
addition of eight nursery nurses, and eight nursery students. As and when possible 35 nursery
assistants will be replaced by Nursery Nurses, thus providing trained staff to improve the day care of
children.
In this connection the City Council is recruiting staff in a highly competitive field. The avenues
of work open to trained nursery nurses are many and varied—hospitals, schools, local authorities,
shipping companies, private employers, and holiday camps all compete fiercely for the available staff.
The Whitley Council scales for this category of staff cannot compete with the salaries offered by
private employers and the City Council has a constant difficulty in obtaining staff for this valuable
work.
Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act, 1948
This Act requires the registration by the local authority of premises used as private day nurseries,
and of persons who undertake in their own homes, for reward, the minding of more than two children