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45
provided by the Council. It is only after a child has been seen by at least two
different nurses that a statutory notice is issued to the parents. These notices are
served through the attendance branch of the education officer's department, and are
either handed to the parents in person or forwarded by means of a registered letter.
A small amendment to the scheme was approved in the early part of the year
which provided that, save in exceptional cases, parents who had availed themselves
of the Council's facilities for voluntary cleansing on the service of the advice cards
should not have the opportunity of again using the bathing centres voluntarily
if the child speedily relapsed.
There are now 10 Council centres, 20 borough council centres, and 9 centres
organised by voluntary committees; but, as the last named are limited to head
cleansings, these are not equipped with sterilisers or baths. One of the centres,
organised by a voluntary committee at Plumstead was closed at the end of 1933.
The following particulars for 1933 are in respect of the cleansing scheme operated
from the Council's and borough councils' centres (as distinct from the "head"
cleansing centres):—
Number of advice cards issued to parents 85,808
Number of children attending voluntarily at bathing centres after advice cards 42,833
Number of statutory notices served in accordance with section 87 of the
Education Act, 1921 23,954
Number attending bathing centres after statutory notices—
(а) voluntarily 4,970
(b) compulsonly 15,916
Number of cases in which police court proceedings were taken 304
At the head cleansing centres 25,051 cases attended during the year.
The figures in the above tabular statement are obtained from records kept on a
terminal basis at each of the centres, and, as is the case with the rota inspection figures,
a child may be recorded more than once in the same year. The individual record
cards at the centres show that in 1933 a total of 73,418 children attended the bathing
and head cleansing centres. Not all these children were, however, referred under
various stages of cleansing schemes, but a certain number attended voluntarily
before their departure for the residential schools, country holidays, etc., or at the
request of parents, teachers and others.
Children taken for compulsory cleansing are either accompanied to the centre
by the school nurse or, in the case of outlying schools, are taken by ambulances.
In 1933, 11,586 children were conveyed in the ambulances.
Children suffering from scabies and impetigo are treated at the bathing
centres. The total of such cases was 5,311 for the year, a slight increase on the number
for the previous year (5,125).
Co-operation with the medical officers of the City of London and the metropolitan
boroughs in remedying verminous conditions in the homes of children has been
continued.
Use of
borough
councils'
washing
baths.
The number of children attending for warm baths during school hours was
32,610 compared with 30,405 in 1932.
Preventive and curative treatment for children between the ages of 14 and 16 years.
The gap in the provision for medical care of the population during the two
years between the school leaving age and the age at which the operation of national
insurance begins was considered by the Council during the past year.
Evidence from the managers of boys' and girls' clubs and other sources shows
that there is great need for care during these important years.
A suggestion was made that as an experiment children should be written to a
few months after leaving school and invited to come for inspection by the school
medical officer during the evenings. There is however no power to expend money
out of the education rate for this purpose.
Young persons above the age of 14 attending secondary and trade schools
(provided and aided) in London have the benefit of the Council's school medical
o