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100
Diabetic Unit
The Council's residential diabetic unit for about 50 children is housed in the
residential school at Hutton, Essex.
During their stay at Hutton the children are taught the principles of the control
of their disease and the importance of dietary. They are also trained to give themselves
injections of insulin.
The only restriction placed on the 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.
The day to day care of the children was undertaken by a visiting medical
officer and by nursing staff with special experience. A consultant visited fortnightly
and at such other times as were necessary. The laboratory work to ensure control
was undertaken by the staff under the supervision of the consultant. The pupils
took part in all school activities, including a fortnight's visit to a holiday camp.
About half the children at the school are sent and maintained by authorities
other than London.
Children under 5 years of age
During the year an inspector of the Education Officer's Department visited
primary schools where there was a number of children under 5 years of age. Where
she was prepared to approve a nursery class, the Divisional Medical Officer was
consulted, and arrangements made with a view to introducing some approximation
to nursery school conditions.
At the end of 1949 there were 114 nursery classes with accommodation for
approximately 3,800 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. In contrast, 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 16 maintained day nursery schools with
accommodation for 1,047 children from two years upwards and six aided day
nursery schools with accommodation for 263 nursery school children.
All the children in nursery classes and schools were supervised daily by school
nurses and each child examined in detail every term by a school doctor.
There was a total of 12,160 children under five years of age on the day school
rolls, 10,492 being in the Council's schools and 1,668 in voluntary or aided schools.
There were nine residential nursery schools outside London with accommodation
for 429 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 County Hall visited each term.
Co-operation with hospitals
Arrangements continued to be made with some of the former voluntary hospitals
whereby one or more of the Council's treatment organisers attends the children's
out-patient departments, at the request of the hospital authorities, to form a link
between the hospital doctors and almoners and the school health service. The
hospitals concerned are the London, Guy's, West London, Royal London Ophthalmic,
Belgrave, Poplar and London Jewish Hospitals, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for
Children, Shadwell and Hackney and the Children's Hospital, Sydenham. These
arrangements have, in some instances, been extended to other departments.