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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. At the end of the year 280 home helps were
employed by the Council.
The present standard charge for home help service is 5/8d. an hour which is reduced
according to the financial circumstances. The service is free to certain classes, e.g.
those persons in receipt of supplementary benefit or families where the mothers, suffering
from toxaemia of pregnancy, have submitted a medical certificate.
Specially trained helps are utilised to provide assistance to problem families. An
in-service course of 8 lectures designed to assist helps in their work was attended by 30 home
helps. Households numbering 3,643 were provided with the service during the year compared with
3,585 last year.
Section 13 of the Health Service and Public Health Act 1968 confers on local health author
ities power to provide laundry facilities for households where home help is being provided,but the
Minister deferred bringing this section into operation for the present in the light of the
present economic situation.
(Statistics on page 100).
DAY CARE SERVICE
The day care service continued to function satisfactorily. This service which is additional
to the normal home help service, is given to selected aged persons by neighbours or persons
living in the immediate vicinity, and is intended to cater for those persons chronically ill
or bedridden and living alone who require visiting or attention several times a day. The
service is however, limited to the availability of the neighbours willing to undertake this
paid work.
REMOVAL OF PERSONS IN NEED OF CARE AND ATTENTION
The Council is empowered by Section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948, as amended by
the National Assistance (Amendment) Act 1951, to make application to a Court of Summary
Jurisdiction for an Order for the removal to hospital or institution of any aged, infirm or
physically incapacitated person living in insanitary conditions, and who is in need of care and
attention.
It was found necessary this year to apply for Removal Orders under this enactment in
respect of 14 persons, 13 of whom were removed to hospital and one to a Welfare Home.
BURIALS
Section 50 of the National Assistance Act 1947 places a duty on the Council to arrange for
the burial ofanyperson found dead within the borough where no private arrangements have been made.
Burials undertaken during the year numbered 52. (Statistics on page 108).
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