View report page

73
Number of treatments:—
(a) at clinics 14,194
(b) at private surgeries 1,142
(c) in patients' own homes 7,024
During the year the Council agreed to appoint a Chief Chiropodist
and, although no appointment had been made by the end
of the year, I am confident that the appointment will give an
added impetus to this growing service.
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 made by those 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
From its inception the Council accepted the need to make the
community aware of its services and its own responsibilities, and
took the view that we should follow an active policy of health
education, the basis of which should be to inculcate and foster the
idea of good health and wellbeing of both the community and the
individual. This should be done by regarding health education as
an integral part of the normal day-to-day work of the Health
Department because the services provided by the Department were
in themselves a potent means of health education. In 1967 the
Council agreed to the appointment of a health education officer
who should be suitably qualified. Owing to the need for stringent
economies, however, it proved necessary to postpone the appointment.
Some of the health education activities which have taken place
during the year are described below.
(a) In Child Health Clinics
Regular courses for expectant mothers are held at six Child
Health Clinics and consist of six or eight sessions which include a
relaxation session and talks on preparation for labour and the care
of the young baby. Health visitors and midwives run these courses
jointly. In several of the clinics one or two evening sessions for
fathers are also held in conjunction with each course.