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The care committee's representative attends medical inspection, interviews the
parents, applies for vouchers for medical treatment, follows up the individual children,
ensures regular attendance at the treatment centres, and sees that the recommendations
of the doctor are carried out in the homes.
The school care committees decide whether the charge for medical treatment
should be remitted in appropriate cases, and also decide whether children should be
placed upon the list for school feeding.
In cases of persistent neglect to obtain treatment, the help of the National
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children is invoked, and if refusal is maintained,
the Society takes legal proceedings under Section 12 of the Children's Act. During
1925 there were 675 cases reported to the Society. Many of these children had two
or more ailments. They included 345 vision cases, 284 dental cases, and 119 cases
of other defects.
Many of the treatment centres are provided and managed by the local general
practitioners, one of whom gives his services as secretary of the centre.
The District Nursing Associations are identified with the school medical service ;
they supply the nursing staff at the treatment centres for the treatment of minor
ailments and the Council's agreements with them ensure the visiting of children in
their homes when necessary.
The care committee organisers maintain a close co-operation with the almoners
of the general and special voluntary hospitals dealing with school children. One
or more organisers are attached to every hospital with which the Council has
arrangements under the Treatment Scheme; in addition to this, hospitals outside the
scheme have asked for the attachment to their almoner's department of one of the
Council's officers, and in this way an extension of children's care has been effected
which has been productive of the very best results.
Co-operation
with Guy's
Hospital.
The following report has been received of the work done in the hospital during
the year, among the school children, in connection with the Children's Care
Committees of the Council's schools.
The three organisers at this hospital see the children in the departments where
they work, and, in conjunction with the Care Committees, endeavour to ensure
regular attendance, and that the recommendations of the doctors, as to treatment,
are carried out. This means considerable correspondence, and visiting of the homes on
the part of the care committees, and the result has been most encouraging this year.
The arrangements by which the L.C.C. Ambulance calls at the hospital to take
home children after tonsils and adenoids operations has been continued this year,
and is working well. In the Orthopaedic Department 286 new children attended,
and 541 are at present attending hospital at regular intervals for supervision. The
children referred for treatment in the Massage Department have also attended well
on the whole. The number of new cases which attended in the Skin Department was
1,338. Of these 31 were suffering from scabies, and 57 from ringworm of the head.
In the Aural Department, 2,302 new children were seen, and 481 operations for
removal of tonsils and of adenoids were done—876 were discharged by the hospital
and 366 were reported by the care committee as not returning for treatment. In
the Eye Department, 1,665 new children attended, and 941 of these were tested
for glasses. Of the 818 for whom glasses were ordered 726 are known to have
obtained them. The attendances of children in all departments have, on the whole,
been more regular.
Many reports for the information of the care committees, and also for the
divisional officers, on children attending in other departments of the hospital, have
been obtained by the Almoner. These are of great assistance to the care committees
in dealing with the child concerned, and to the attendance officers in regard to
school attendance. The Almoner's kind co-operation in all matters relating to the
care committee work in the hospital has been invaluable.
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