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Vaccination and Immunisation.—Four vaccination clinics were opened, 1 in Bermondsey,
1 in Southwark and 2 in Lambeth. The sessions were held in connection
with the Diphtheria Immunisation Clinics and the facilities met the demand.
Although the value of Whooping Cough vaccine has not yet been established, the
demand for this vaccine is still great and most mothers request to have it carried out
in conjunction with diphtheria immunisation.
Holiday Homes.—The demand for holiday home accommodation was much greater
than was expected. Arrangements were made for the placing of children in holiday
homes to be carried out by the Invalid Children's Aid Association and the placing of
adults by the Family Welfare Association. All assessments are carried out at
Divisional Offices and patients are given the option of making payment to the recommending
body or at the Divisional Offices.
Old People.—Many problems arose as a result of the difficulty in obtaining
hospital accommodation for the aged chronic sick. Health visitors were asked to
report on the home conditions of old people recommended for hospital admission to
ensure that only urgent cases were sent to hospital. The Emergency Bed Service
were, however, still unable to meet the demand for hospital beds for old people.
Child Minders.—A number of child minders in Lambeth have been transferred to
the Council scheme. Payment of the registration fee to these minders is made at the
welfare centre in order to ensure that the children are brought there. Most of the
child minders have fewer than three children and only a few have had to be registered
under the Nurseries and Child Minders' Act.
Home Helps.—Two separate schemes, 1 for domestic helps in ordinary households
and 1 for home helps for maternity cases were in operation in Lambeth prior to 5th
July, 1948. These 2 services have been consolidated. There has been a great increase
in the demand and supply of home helps throughout the Division.
Division 9, comprising the boroughs of Battersea and Wandsworth.
Dr. Bertha E. A. Sharpe reports :
Battersea is compact but Wandsworth is widely spread; consequently, the
administration in each borough has necessarily been conducted on different lines.
Endeavour is being made to weld the two administrations into one, though the absence
of suitable centralised offices renders amalgamation difficult. At present, the administrative
work is carried out from 5 different offices, in various parts of the Division.
There are in this Division 17 buildings used for maternity and child welfare
centres, and in addition, there are 7 school treatment centres and 3 cleansing stations.
The clinics for infant welfare, ante-natal, post-natal, toddlers, dental treatment,
immunisation, vaccination and minor ailments have been well attended as also the
mothercraft classes. In some places it has been possible to combine the midwives,
clinics with the ante-natal clinics, which hitherto were held separately, and this has
proved advantageous to the maternity service.
Home helps have been provided for confinement cases and in cases of need on
social and medical grounds, and this service has proved a great boon.
There are 16 nurseries in the Division, and in addition there is a voluntary nursery
to which a grant is made. All these nurseries have been used to capacity.
In addition to minor ailment treatment, Specialist service is provided under the
school health service, for vision, squint, ear, nose and throat, nutrition, enuresis,
rheumatism, and child guidance for the children attending the 120 schools in the
Division.
The tuberculosis care committees have continued to function, and handicraft
classes have been held regularly.