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Report of the County Medical Officer—Education
141
Association, came into operation on 22nd February, 1913. Nursing treatment only is given,
the guaranteed attendance being 660 cases per annum. A nurse attends the centre every
day, and visits the homes of the children when necessary. The accommodation consists of two rooms
on the ground-floor, the front room being used for treatment and the back room as a waiting-room.
A side entrance affords access to the latter room.
(11.) Metropolitan Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Fitzroy-square,W—The arrangements at this
hospital differ from those in force at the other hospitals included in the Council's scheme, inasmuch
as the agreement does not provide for the attendance of a definite number of children annually, and
a different method of payment is adopted. As a rule only one or two patients are sent by the Council
on any one day. In view of the small number of cases referred to the hospital, an inclusive
capitation payment of 6s. is paid and the patients are seen by the ordinary staff of the hospital. The
children are specially registered and are given precedence over other out-patients. They are, moreover,
allowed to make their first attendance at any time in the afternoon. Operations are usually
fixed for only a few days later than the first attendance, and the parents are required to sign their
consent to the operation in a register kept for the purpose. Operations are performed about 9.30 in
the mornings, and, as a rule, children are ready to leave about 2 p.m. The hospital is open
every day, and the convenience of the parents can thus be considered in making appointments.
(12) Metropolitan Hospital, Kingsland-road, N.—The Council's arrangements with this hospital
began in February, 1912. These provide for the attendance of 500 eye cases and 500 ear, nose and
throat cases a year, and these numbers have been fully maintained. One session a week is devoted
to eye and one to throat cases, but operations upon throat and nose cases are performed at a separate
session. The arrangements generally at this hospital are very satisfactory.
(13) Miller General Hospital, Greenwich-road, S.E.—The present agreement with this hospital
provides for the treatment of 500 eye cases, 500 ear, nose and throat cases and 88 ringworm cases a
year. Payment for the treatment of ringworm is made at the rate of £1 a case, but this sum
includes the services of the surgeon in charge of the X ray apparatus. The waiting room accommodation
is not altogether satisfactory, but the hospital authorities are of opinion that school cases would
best be dealt with at a treatment centre, and it is only pending the making of suitable arrangements
with local practitioners that they have consented to renew the agreement. Negotiations are now in
progress for the establishment of a dental centre in the neighbourhood with a view to its extension
to include medical treatment on the expiration of the agreement with the Miller Hospital.
(14) Norwood treatment centre, 3, Chestnut-road, Norwood.—This centre was the first of the
school treatment centres established by committees of local medical practitioners, and was opened in
September, 1910. The premises consist of a double-fronted detached house, and six rooms which
have been specially fitted up are used for the purposes of the centre. At present provision is made
for the treatment of 880 eye cases, 440 ear, nose and throat cases, 176 ringworm, and 1,540
dental cases. The children and their parents are received in a large cheerful waiting room on the
right of the entrance hall. The room the other side of the hall is used as a consulting room. On the
first floor four rooms are used, one as an operating room, one for preparing the children for operation,
one as a recovery room and one as an X ray-room. There is also a bath room used for rinsing mouths
after dental treatment. One of the Council's nurses attends this centre daily to assist the surgeons
and make the appointments for both medical and dental cases; she also supplies information to the
school care committees in connection with the following up of children who fail to keep appointments,
or who require home treatment; a second nurse is supplied by the Council to assist the dentist.
Generally the attendance is good and the treatment is very satisfactory.
(15) Peckham treatment centre, 412, Old Kent-road.—The existing agreements provide for the
treatment of 660 eye cases, 880 ear, throat and nose cases, 176 ringworm cases, 1,320 minor ailments
and 1,540 teeth cases a year. The centre is situated in the Old Kent-road, and is easily accessible
from Peckham, Rotherhithe and Camberwell. The premises consist of a ground floor room divided
for use as a waiting room, and for the treatment by the nurse of minor ailments. On the first floor
are the operating room and the recovery room. The latter is also used as a consulting room by the
minor ailment doctor and ophthalmic surgeon. A portion of it is converted by a wooden partition
into a dark room for retinoscopy. On the second floor are situated the dental operating room and a
room which is used as a preparing room on operation days and for the X-ray apparatus. One of the
Council's nurses is constantly in attendance at the centre.
The arrangements for the treatment of the children at this centre are excellent and the
attendance has been most satisfactory. The number of attendances of children for nursing treatment
has been especially high, and the nurse provided by the Ranyard Nursing Association has found
it difficult to carry on the work single handed. Arrangements have therefore been made for the
daily attendance of two nurses to deal with the treatment of 1,320 cases a year.
(16) Poplar treatment centre, 69, East India Dock-road, E.—This centre is organised by a
voluntary committee, and the agreement provides for the treatment of 880 eye cases, 1,320 ear, nose
and throat cases, and 660 minor ailments cases per annum. The premises "are situated adjacent to the
various tramway and omnibus routes of Poplar and Stepney, and they are admirably suited for the
purpose of a school treatment centre. The rooms are large, well-lighted and well-ventilated, and
the uppermost floor is devoted to the offices of the district organiser of care committee work. The fact
that the premises are spacious enough to permit of the accommodation of the care committee workers
and the treatment of patients under one roof is found to be of considerable advantage. The ground
floor contains two large rooms, one of which is used for the examination of eye cases and the other for
the treatment of minor ailments. Adjacent to these two rooms is another portion of the house,
which contains an excellent waiting room for parents and children. On the first floor there are two
large rooms, one of which is used as an operating room and the other as a recovery room, and here,
again, there is a waiting room and proper lavatory accommodation. The second floor contains the
three rooms which, as above-mentioned, are devoted to the office work of the care committee
organising staff.