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CHIROPODY
This service has doubled since 1965. Foot clinics are held at 8 of the Health Department's
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 36 sessions are
held each week by one full-time and nine part-time chiropodists. For those unable to attend
clinics, six of the chiropodists visit their homes to give treatment. When such patients can be
taken to clinics transport is provided, a total of 369 patients being conveyed during the year.
Treatment is free to old persons, to those on retirement pensions, expectant mothers, schoolchildren
and the physically handicapped.
The appointments system was reviewed during the year, resulting in the average number of
patients treated per session being increased from 6.0 to 6.7.The average time between clinic
appointments is 9 weeks and 10-11 weeks between domiciliary treatments.
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 93.
HOME HELP SERVICE
Home helps are provided under Section 13 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 ,
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, 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. At the end of the year 279 home helps were
employed by the Council.
The present standard charge for home help service is 6/10d an hour which iis reduced
according to the financial circumstances of the person assisted. 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 medical certificates.
An in-service course of 7 lectures designed to assist helps in their work was attended by
30 home helps. Households numbering 3,724 were provided with the service during the year
compared with 3,643 last year.
Section 13 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 also confers on local health
authorities power to provide laundry facilities for households where home help is being provided ,
but the Minister has deferred bringing this section into operation in the light of the present
economic situation.
(Statistics on page 96 )
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