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The following-up of children found to be in need of treatment or special observation
is carried out by the school care organisation, consisting of upwards of 5,000
voluntary workers aided and supervised by a staff of paid organisers.
The voluntary workers are responsible for acquainting the school doctor with
any particular difficulties with which the family has been contending, such as
unemployment, lack of proper accommodation, or illness, any of which might help
the school doctor in determining the action desirable in any particular case. Such
action may not be confined to medical treatment under the Council's arrangements,
but may require that use be made of other ameliorative channels which are not
always under the Council's supervision.
In this way the Council's school medical service is brought into touch with other
social and medical organisations with undoubted advantages to the children and their
parents.
During 1936, 423 children, involving 551 defects, were reported to the National
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children : these included 263 dental
defects, 102 vision cases, 63 nose and throat affections and 20 cases of ear disease
or deafness.
The influence of the acute infectious fevers on the production of aural disease
is shown by the high proportion of children who are deaf and partially deaf, in whom
the trouble can be traced originally to an attack of measles or scarlet fever. One
of the most important means therefore of preventing deafness and hardness of
hearing is the after-care of children when they are discharged from the fever
hospitals.
An arrangement has been made whereby notification is received of children
who have suffered from ear discharge while in a fever hospital. The names of
infants under school age are sent to the borough medical officers of health for the
necessary action, while children of school age are examined by the school doctors
at intervals of six months, until at two consecutive examinations no symptoms of
the disease are found. The number of cases reported was 802, of which 37 were
forwarded to Borough Councils or other local authorities. Of the children followed
up at school, 24 were found on the first examination to have otorrhæa, and of those
seen at second examinations the condition persisted in two children. All those not
cleared up are being kept under observation.
In view of the importance of this procedure, efforts were made to secure fuller
notification of cases. That these were successful is shown by the fact that the
number of notifications from the isolation hospitals was in 1936 almost double that
of the previous year.
Medical and dental treatment
The arrangements made by the Council for the medical and dental treatment
of children attending public elementary schools, scholars and pupils attending
secondary, trade and day continuation schools and certain evening institutes and
junior instruction centres, have been continued during the year. The number of
hospitals and centres included in the scheme at the end of the year was 17 hospitals
and 78 centres. The centre at St. Marylebone general dispensary was closed on
30th September, 1936, owing to the removal of the dispensary to other premises
not conveniently situated for the children in the district. A new centre to deal
with these children is contemplated in Marylebone-road. In the meantime children
requiring treatment are being referred to neighbouring centres. Three additional
centres for the treatment of minor ailments, viz. the Camberwell sub-centre at
Comber-grove school and the Deptford sub-centre at the Turnham school, Honor
Oak, were opened on 1st April, 1936, and the Downham sub-centre was opened at
the Coopers-lane school on 1st October, 1936. The attendance of the children at
the centres has been well maintained, and, in spite of the fall in the school roll, the
actual number of cases treated during the year has increased compared with the
numbers dealt with during 1935.
Children's
care
committees.
Cases referred
to the
N.S.P.C.C.
Aural
disease and
the acute
infections.