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

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London County Council 1945

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

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36
accommodation for children but full use could not be made of the accommodation
because of shortage of nursing and domestic staff. Goldie Leigh Hospital, which
re-opened on 15th September, 1945, continued to provide limited accommodation
for children suffering from ringworm and other contagious diseases of the skin or
scalp and White Oak Hospital, which re-opened on 1st October, 1945, for children
suffering from contagious diseases of the eye.
Hospitals for
epileptics
The two hospitals for epileptics continued to provide treatment as before the
war. The number of patients undergoing treatment remained fairly constant
throughout the year.
Convalescent
hospitals
Princess Mary's Convalescent Hospital, Margate, remained closed throughout
the year and a few convalescent adult patients were sent to Queen Mary's Hospital,
Sidcup. A number of male and female adult convalescent patients were sent to
voluntary establishments.
Convalescent
children
During the war, accommodation for convalescent children ceased to be
available in the Council's hospitals and had to be provided from other sources. An
agreement was reached with the Invalid Children's Aid Association, who have had
long experience in caring for the needs of such patients, whereby children for whose
medical care the Council was responsible and who needed convalescence were
referred to the Association, by whom they were sent to convalescent homes. During
1945 a total of 531 children were dealt with in this way.
In addition to the foregoing arrangements, the long-standing practice was
continued of accepting financial liability for the convalescent treatment of children
brought to the Council's notice by the Invalid Children's Aid Association themselves.
During the year these children numbered 820 as compared with 640 in the previous
year.
Other
hospitals
The Northern Hospital at Winchmore Hill and Southern and Joyce Green
Hospitals at Dartford, normally used to accommodate convalescent fever patients,
were not available for this purpose. They continued, as in previous years, to
serve a useful purpose by receiving numbers of patients suffering from general noninfectious
conditions from the inner hospitals and were important units of the
Government's Emergency Hospital Service.
Venereal
diseases
Beds for patients suffering from venereal diseases were provided at Sheffield
Street, Bethnal Green and St. Charles' Hospitals.
Admissions
to public
health
hospitals

The numbers of patients admitted during 1945, compared with 1938 and 1944 are shown below:—

193819441945$
Acute general hospitals173,796127,184*126,157*
Chronic sick hospitals10,014‡7,2446,982
Convalescent hospitals (adults)4,698
„ „ (children4,257
Convalescent fever hospitals2,94217,076†14,813†
Acute fever hospitals33,15919,50920,825††
Tuberculosis hospitals4,1632,4961,873
Children's hospitals5,4893,9292,814
Post-encephalitis lethargica unit49140**23
Venereal diseases hospitals801527438
Nursery units31713
Epileptic hospitals237297180
Total239,605178,433 ¶174,818

*Includes Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup. † Hospitals devoted wholly to convalescent non-fever patients.
‡Includes 802 patients in social welfare establishments.
Includes general medical patients. § The figures for 1945 are provisional only.
**Includes 125 patients temporarily transferred during evacuation.
¶ In addition, 1,155 tuberculosis patients and 269 chronic sick patients were admitted to
auxiliary hospitals administered by the Council in the north of England and Scotland
††Includes 3,000 patients passing through the Western Hospital in transit from evacuation
to the provinces.