London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hornsey 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornsey, Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
DOMESTIC HELP SERVICE
(Section 29)
The total number of cases provided with home help during the year was
1,755, the bulk of the cases comprising the chronic sick, including agedand
infirm, who need more or less permanent help. The demands on the organisation
can be readily appreciated when it is realised that over 1,000 patients
require help week by week.
The following table shows details of the cases served during the year:-
| Cases provided with help | No. of new cases provided with help | No. of old cases for which help was con tinued from 1958 | Total No. of cases provided with help during year | Total No. of cases still being provided with help at end of year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternity (including expectant mothers) | 107 | 6 | 113 | 7 |
| Tuberculosis | 11 | 30 | 41 | 26 |
| Chronic Sick (including aged and infirm) | 517 | 945 | 1462 | 972 |
| Others | 126 | 13 | 139 | 19 |
| Total | 761 | 994 | 1755 | 1024 |
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 two cases were served for a total of 72 hours.
HEALTH EDUCATION
Programmes of special significance are planned from time to time in
welfare centres and school clinics.
This year a special effort on the Dangers of Home Accidents was
arranged. Welfare centres were loaned display stands and informatory notices
in co-operation with the Boroughs. To support these and to focus attention on
to the theme, posters and leaflets on display dealt with the same subject. At
the same time a more positive trend was taken up by health visitors in talks
and mothercraft classes and schools. The stress here was that the home
75