London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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64
Subjoined are details of work carried out in 1946:—
The county average time to reach an emergency case (all kinds) was 8.4 minutes,
varying from 7.2 minutes at Westminster accident station to 9.4 minutes at Lee and
South-Western stations.
The average time taken to reach a street accident was 7.5 minutes.
The number of calls per station ranged from 6,336 at Bloomsbury to 2,280
at Woolwich accident station.
The greatest number of calls (3,132) was received during the hours of 3 to 4 p.m.,
and the lowest (1,259) between 5 and 6 a.m.
December was the month with the highest number of calls—5,424, and February
had the lowest—4,190.
Street accident cases by ages were:—
| Age (in years) | Number of cases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| —10 | 1,029 | 11.8 |
| 10—20 | 1,156 | 13.3 |
| 20—30 | 1,060 | 12.2 |
| 30—40 | 1,261 | 14.5 |
| 40—50 | 1,172 | 13.4 |
| 50—60 | 1,062 | 12.2 |
| 60—70 | 1,065 | 12.2 |
| 70—80 | 711 | 8.2 |
| 80—90 | 186 | 2.1 |
| 90— | 10 | 0.1 |
| Not stated | 155 | — |
| Total | 8,867 | 100.0 |
GENERAL SECTION
| Year | Miles run | Persons conveyed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients | Relatives and friends of patients, staff, etc. | Total | ||
| 1938 | 1,930,172 | 217,908 | 102,520 | 320,428 |
| 1939 | 1,707,620 | 138,150 | 62,030 | 200,180 |
| 1940 | 1,352,029 | 135,745 | 72,329 | 208,074 |
| 1941 | 1,034,966 | 104,372 | 53,033 | 157,405 |
| 1942 | 933,866 | 86,245 | 35,307 | 121,552 |
| 1943 | 1,017,646 | 101,362 | 53,642 | 155,004 |
| 1944* | 832,063 | 89,778 | 53,392 | 143,170 |
| 1945 | 1,348,342 | 131,788 | 97,805† | 229,593 |
| 1946 | 1,633,813 | 160,074 | 127,706† | 287,780 |
* Returns from Brook ambulance station from March 31st to November 11th, destroyed by enemy action.
† Icludes conveyance of nurses between hospitals and outlying nurses' homes as former staff quarters
were destroyed by enemy action ; domiciliary midwives; district medical officers and other medical staff.