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BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PERSONS
It is necessary, for the purpose of the Council's scheme for providing welfare services
under the National Assistance Act 1948 for the blind and partially sighted, to arrange medical
examinations in connection with the certification of such persons. The department arranged
155 examinations by a consultant ophthalmologist, during the year, at a cost of £315. Transport
to the clinic for examination is arranged for these persons where necessary.
In addition, certificates accepted from other local authorities, hospitals and private
ophthalmologists numbered 44, payments totalling £143 being made.
CHIROPODY
Foot clinics are held at 7 of the Health Department1s establishments and at 3 other premises.
Treatment is provided for corns, callosities and malformed nails; advice is given on shoe
fitting, foot hygiene and exercises. A total of 40 sessions are held each week by one fulltime
and eleven part-time chiropodists. For those unable to attend clinics, five of the
chiropodists visit their homes to give treatment. Treatment is free to old persons, to those
on retirement pensions, expectant mothers and to schoolchildren.
In addition a chiropody service is provided by the Welfare Department of the Council for
residents of old people's homes, and I am indebted to the Chief Welfare Officer for the
information on this service provided by him and included in the statistics on page 103,
HOME BATHING
Aged persons who are bedfast or homebound are given bed baths and, where the person is
sufficiently agile, complete baths in their own homes by the Council's bathing attendants. If
the dwelling is without a bath, a 'bungalow' bath is taken to the premises, together with hot
water in insulated containers.
More than five thousand baths were given during the year,
HOME HELP SERVICE
Home helps are provided under Section 29, National Health Service Act 1946, to undertake
domestic work in homes during emergencies such as illness or confinements, and to assist aged
persons who are unable to fend unaided for themselves. Increasingly the service is attending
to the demands of the latter category (86%) understandably because of the growing number of
aged persons in the community, earlier discharge from hospital as the community care service
expands, and the policy of keeping the aged in their own homes as long as possible rather
than admitting them to a hospital or welfare home. Examples of home help/home nurse co-operation
are illustrated opposite pages 29 and 43 , At the end of the year 290 home helps were
employed by the Council, the majority on a part-time basis, the equivalent full-time number
being 187.
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