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69
be provided with ambulance transport. During the year 2,293
sessions were held ; 775 people made a total of 14,897 attendances.
In addition to the clinics provided by the Council much valuable
work is done by the Old People's Welfare Council through the
Welfare Department. The following figures show the extent of
this complementary service during 1965:—
Number of centres at which sessions were held 3
Number of sessions held:—
(a) at clinics 207
(b) privately 104
Number of individual patients seen:—
(a) at clinics 182
(b) privately 112
(c) at home 231
Number of treatments at clinics 1,583
Number of home visits made 2,003
Number of treatments at chiropodists' private surgeries 972
Venereal disease
Welfare Officers are employed by six of the Inner London
authorities in whose areas V.D. clinics are situated, and follow-up
patients who have failed to complete treatment, with the object of
persuading them to continue with treatment. Time is also spent
in tracing contacts named by patients and persuading them to
obtain treatment. This work is carried out on behalf of all Inner
London authorities, an annual payment being paid by authorities
(of which Wandsworth is one) without any venereal-disease clinics
in their areas and therefore not directly employing any welfare
officers on follow-up work.
Health Education
Health education is an important and fundamental part of the
work of a Health Department but it must be approached in a
practical way, with an understanding of what is possible and of
existing medical knowledge and the social obligations of the
community. It is also necessary to observe the well recognised
educational axiom that any form of education, to be fully effective,
must also be interesting.
A good deal of attention was given to this question by the
former Authorities which were merged to form the new London
Borough of Wandsworth, and the measures undertaken by those
Authorities have continued in a greater or lesser degree in the
current year.
We have, therefore, pursued an active policy of health education,
the basis of which has been to inculcate and foster the idea
of good health and well-being of both the community and the