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authorities and the Regional Hospital Boards under the new Health Service, the
former being deemed to be responsible for diagnosis and the latter for treatment.
Discussions between the responsible authorities had reached no conclusion at the
end of the year.
Diabetic unit
The Council's residential diabetic unit for about 50 children is housed within the
curtilage of the residential school at Hutton (Essex).
The day to day care of the pupils is undertaken by a visiting medical officer
and by nursing staff with special experience. A consultant visits fortnightly, and at
such other times as are necessary. The laboratory work necessary to ensure control
is undertaken by the staff under the supervision of the consultant. The pupils take
part in all school activities, including a fortnight's visit to a holiday camp.
During their stay they are taught the principles of the control of their disease,
the importance of dietary, and to give themselves injections of insulin.
About half the children at the school are sent and maintained by education
authorities other than London. The only restriction placed on selection of pupils
for admission is that they should be suffering from diabetes mellitus which cannot
be adequately controlled at home, and be of such intelligence as to profit by their
stay.
Children under 5 years of age
Visits continued to be paid during the year to primary schools where there was
a number of children under 5 years of age, by a school medical officer and an inspector
of the Education Officer's department, with a view to introducing some approximation
to nursery class conditions.
At the end of 1948 there were 100 nursery classes with accommodation for
approximately 3,400 children from 3 years of age and upwards. In addition to a
midday meal, these children get one-third of a pint of milk daily and cod liver oil and
other vitamin preparations; for those who require it medicaments containing iron
are also prescribed. Nursery class children attend during the ordinary school hours of
primary school children. Nursery school children attend from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
and have breakfast (when necessary), dinner and tea, and two-thirds of a pint of
milk daily in addition to the other supplements supplied to the nursery class children.
At the end of the year there were 15 maintained day nursery schools with
accommodation for 975 children from two years upwards and six aided day nursery
schools with accommodation for 273 nursery school children.
All the children in nursery classes and schools were daily supervised by school
nurses and each child examined in detail every term by a school doctor.
There was a total of 9,710 children under five years of age on the day school
rolls, 7,871 being in the Council's schools and 1,839 in voluntary or aided schools.
There were eight residential nursery schools outside London with accommodation
for 461 children from two years of age upwards. In addition to a local visiting
doctor the schools were medically supervised by the local maternity and child
welfare authority and a medical officer from the County Hall visited each term.
Co-operation with hospitals
The valuable pre-war arrangements with some of the former voluntary hospitals
whereby one or more of the Council's treatment organisers attends, at the request of the
hospital authorities, the children's out-patient departments to form a link between
the hospital doctors and almoners and the school health service, is still maintained at
the London, Guy's, West London, Royal London Ophthalmic, Belgrave, Poplar and