London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

London County Council 1932

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

39
case to the Invalid Children's Aid Association. A form of medical certificate as to
the fitness of each child is completed by the tuberculosis officer, and forwarded to
the local branch of the Invalid Children's Aid Association. The medical officer of
health of the Council sends a confirming note to the Central Invalid Children's Aid
Association.
All cases are reviewed periodically in order to determine whether or not children
may return home, except of course, in those cases where the children are sent away
in order to enable the parents to receive residential treatment. These latter cases
are reviewed when the parents are discharged and may be retained for boarding out
if the parents are still infective.
The average stay varies from between three to six months, although it has
been advisable for certain children to be kept away for more lengthy periods, in some
cases from eighteen months to two years. The decision as to the discharge of the
children is a function of the medical officer of health of the Council.
The applications received during 1932 were 259, and 211 children were
accepted, the remaining 48 being withdrawn or unsuitable. At the end of the
year 93 children were being maintained under this scheme.
The actual expenditure incurred, including travelling expenses of children and
escorts and incidental expenses, such as medical attention, is periodically paid by the
Council to the Invalid Children's Aid Association, and a grant of £300 a year is also
paid to them to cover the cost of administration of the scheme. The accounts are
audited from time to time by the comptroller of the Council. Provision is made for
the current year in the Council's annual maintenance estimates for maintaining a
daily average of 100 children, the total inclusive estimated expenditure being £4,280.
The cost of placing the elder children varies from 12s. to 15s. per week per
child and in the case of the young infants may be as high as 20s. per week. The
general average cost is about 15s. per week. Parents are required to contribute
according to their means towards the cost of maintenance of the children. The
amounts are assessed and collected by the Invalid Children's Aid Association and are
paid over to the Council.

From the inception of the scheme until 1932, 1,856 children have been dealt with, as follows:—

YearNumberTearNumber
19254281930202
19262601931196
19271691932211
1928219
1929171Total1,856

Supply of
surgical
appliances.
Reports have been received in many cases which indicate that the children gain
in general health as a result of their removal to clean, healthy surroundings. This
is particularly noticeable in the case of children removed from crowded homes.
Arrangements were also made through the Invalid Children's Aid Association
for providing children with surgical appliances after discharge from institutional
treatment, and in G8 cases apparatus was so supplied. The cost of these
instruments is borne from the balance of a fund known as the "Tuberculosis
Contributions Fund" into which contributions made by parents towards the cost of
their children's residential treatment under the Council's tuberculosis scheme
were paid prior to 1st April, 1925. Payments into this separate account are no longer
made as, since 1st April, 1925, the contributions of patients towards the cost of their
maintenance are paid into the County Fund. The balance of the fund is, however,
being applied as indicated above.
Cases dealt
with by the
Council.
Mental Deficiency Ads, 1913-27.
On 3rd December, 1932, there were being dealt with by the Council 8,981 cases.
Of these 5,546 were in institutions, 146 under guardianship, 3,257 under supervision