View report page

62
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
The responsibility for providing a school health service falls on the Inner London Education
Authority (Section 30 of the London Government Act, 1963). The arrangements made prior to 1965
for the joint use of professional, administrative and clerical staff by the City Council and the Education
Authority are still operating satisfactorily.
Of the 62 I.L.E.A. schools in Westminster, full-time medical officers carry out medical inspections
at 42, with sessional medical officers attending the remainder. So far as possible, the full-time medical
officers undertake child welfare clinics and primary school medical examinations in the same area.
This, combined with the fact that most of the health visitors act as school nurses within their own
areas, provides a large measure of continuity in care.
Educationally subnormal children—Seven medical officers are approved to undertake statutory E.S.N,
examinations. During 1969, 98 children were examined under sections 34 or 57 of the Education Act.
Of the 98, 38 were recommended for admission to E.S.N, schools and 28 for admission either to
training centres or the special care unit.
Immunisation—special project—A trial of rubella vaccine was carried out at Sarah Siddons School.
Girls aged 12-13 were invited to have the vaccine; all who accepted were to have a blood sample
taken at the time of vaccination. Those whose blood showed a negative antibody response were to
be bled again after 6 weeks, together with a 10% sample of those with a positive antibody response.
About 180 girls accepted ; of these, 47 were sero-negative. These, together with 13 (a 10% sample)
of sero-positives were re-bled.
This trial, taken in conjunction with similar trials elsewhere, was of undoubted value. Fuller
reports have appeared in the medical journals.
B.C.G. Vaccination—Five colleges, 20 secondary schools, two day nurseries for handicapped
children and the special care unit were visited during the year. The figures for those skin-tested and
vaccinated are shown on page 91. The big discrepancy between the 1968 and 1969 figures arises
from the fact that during 1968 an active case of tuberculosis was found at one of the largest colleges,
with the consequent increase in skin-testing and vaccination of contacts which it entailed.
Vision clinics—Owing to a seemingly insoluble staffing problem at the hospital concerned it was
necessary to close the vision clinic which had been held for many years at Lissonia Treatment Centre.
Children needing urgent appointments were seen at Western Opthalmic Hospital; discussions are
proceeding for the transfer of the of whole body of work from Lissonia Treatment Centre vision
clinic to the hospital.
Special investigation clinics—The work of this valuable adjunct to the school health service is dealt
with in the section on the work of the social workers (see page 50).
Scheme for selective medical examinations in schools—The Principal School Medical Officer is
considering a much more extensive use of this scheme, which appears to have been very valuable,
where it has been tried, in channelling medical and nursing resources to the area of greatest need.
(See Tables 47, 48, 49, 50,51, 52, 53 and 54, pages 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95 and 96).
DENTAL SERVICE
(Mr. D. K. Hardy, L.D.S., R.C.S., Eng.)
Senior Dental Officer
The year 1969 has seen the continuation of the City Council's dental service without the leadership
of its Chief Dental Officer, Mr. R. E. Kean, who fell ill on 22nd July, 1969 and died on 22nd April,
1970. Mr. Kean served the Inner London Education Authority and the City Council well and did
much to promote a high standard of dental care.
The service has been well staffed by dental officers, but unfortunately the difficulty of obtaining
dental surgery assistants continued. The salary scale for this class of officer is a nationally negotiated
one and whilst it may be sufficient to attract trained staff in some parts of the country, it is quite
inadequate for an area like Westminster where there is direct competition with the many specialists
in the Harley Street and Wimpole Street areas.
The Social Services and Establishment Committees considered making representations to the
appropriate National Joint Council for an improved salary scale which would be applicable to the