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clinic and health department, ensuring that these children who are placed on the
Observation Register, receive continuing support from the coramunity, Any help that can be
given by local authority facilities is recommended e.g. attendance at a day nursery,
creche or playgroup Social work support is recommended for many fami1ies and special educational
help is required for manychildren
FAMILY PLANNING
Family Planning sessions conducted on behalf of the Council by the Family Planning
Association are held at three of the Council's Clinic Centres 287 sessions being held
dur.ng the year. In addition Council sessions staffed by Medical Officers and Health
Visitors are operated at a further four clinic centres.
The Family Planning Association provide a Domiciliary Service. Preliminary visiting
is carried out by the Non-medical Supervisor of Midwives.
Thi s year new patients numbered 1,858 , an increase of 487 ove r last year. Statistics
on page 6 2
FEEDING DIFFICULTIES
Facilities are provided at a centre outside the Borough for in-patient treatment of
mothers and babies when breast feeding difficulties are experienced or of babies with
dietary prob1ems, It was not found necessary to uti1ise these facilities during the year
HEALTH EDUCATION
During 1972 the emphasis has remained on health education teaching in schools.
The majorityof requests come from secondary schools but the marked lack of knowledge of
some elementary health matters, i.e. smoking suggests that health education should be
extended to all primary schools to become truly preventative. In addition to the Health
Education Officer the Health Visitors have been increasingly involved during the past
year in health education work in schools.
In April this year a cervical cytology campaign was mounted and with theco-operation
of the housing department 16 000 leaflets containing information regarding the "smear
test" were distributed with the rent cards to Council tenants. The health visitors
reported a moderate rise in the number of attendances at cytology clinic sessions.
Two colleges of further education, Walbrook College and the London College of
Furniture, requested exhibitions on the subject of smoking this year Display material ,
exhibits and film shows stimulated interest and discussion among the students, many of
whom are heavy smokers
Statistics of the work of the section are given on page 89
HEALTH VISITING
Health visitors maintain close liaison with the staff of statutory and voluntary
bodies, general practitioners and hospitals in the borough. Their visits to expectant
mothers and to children under five years of age are shown with other statistics on page
62 Health education work iscarried out by means of personal contact as well as in group
sessions held at the clinics. At the request of the paediatricians concerned, health
visitors attend out-patients departments athospital s to providealink between hospital
and home.
The numbers of health visitors including centre superintendents and tuberculosis
-20-