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Night Service
This service continued during the year to provide help for patients
who are very ill or dying and who need night attention, and so enable
relatives or others who normally provide this assistance to get a certain
amount of relief. During the year five cases were served for a total of 96
hours.
Training Scheme
The scheme to give some instruction to home helps was continued
during the year, three courses being arranged.
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
General
The year was an extremely busy one for the school health service.
Owing to the priority given to poliomyelitis vaccination the number of
sessions devoted to periodic medical examinations had to be curtailed,
the cut being made in the intermediate examinations as it was felt that
the entrants and leavers examinations must be held. Despite difficulties
the B.C.G. vaccination and diphtheria booster dose programmes in schools
were proceeded with. Much credit is due to the clerical staff responsible
for organising these overlapping programmes. That all the work is worth
while is shown by the vital and infectious disease statistics for the Area.
The work of the cerebral palsy unit at Vale Road Day Special School
for the Physically Handicapped continues to increase, 51 children being
under supervision as against 44 in 1957. Further reference to the work
of the unit will be found in the report of the Consultant on page 87. It
appears likely that further provision for educable cerebral palsied children
is likely to prove necessary at this School.
The number of partially deaf children in attendance at the Senior and
Junior partially deaf units continues to increase and discussions have taken
place with a view to increasing the number of classes for these children.
The work of the audiology unit has been rather hampered by lack of
suitable facilities and by a delay in decisions as to the appointment of a
permanent audiologist. Writing now in May 1959 it does appear that these
problems will shortly be overcome.
Routine Medical Inspection
The following table shows the number of Hornsey children inspected
by years of birth and the classification of their physical condition.
77