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centres. All expectant mothers attending an ante-natal clinic are given a blood test
which includes the Rhesus Factor. Three midwives of the Camden Grove District
Home of the General Lying-in Hospital also operate in this Division.
A post-natal clinic was opened in Camberwell and a further educational and
ante-natal exercises session commenced at Forest Hill. Close contact was maintained
with the obstetric and gynaecological departments of local hospitals, and a number
of conferences took place during the year.
Extra child welfare sessions were arranged at some of the centres where the
attendances were large. In some instances, this could not be done as the accommodation
was unavailable.
An increase in the number of Schick testing and diphtheria and whooping cough
immunisation clinics was found to be necessary.
Authority was given for the holding of an evening Family Planning Clinic at
the Sumner welfare centre ; the morning session formerly held there was transferred
to the Consort Road welfare centre.
A high standard of visiting was maintained, despite the continued shortage of
health visitors which necessitated the carrying of a much heavier "case-load" than
is desirable. In addition to their responsibilities in connection with mothers, and
children under five years of age, many visits were paid to elderly folk, and to patients
discharged from hospital. As this important aspect of their work develops, the need
for more health visitors becomes increasingly urgent.
Health
visiting
The home help service has been expanded to its fullest extent. Male home
helps have been engaged primarily to work in the homes of aged males but it may
take a little time for this development to become generally acceptable. A conference
of home helps was held with the object of showing them how best to fill the important
role they occupy in the personal health services scheme, and particular reference
was made to aged persons. The conference was very successful and will be repeated.
Home helps
Much attention was given during the year to this increasingly important problem.
More than half of the work of home helps was in connection with the aged,
whilst district nurses also devoted a large proportion of their time to these cases.
It was found possible to arrange recuperative holidays for a number of old folk.
The visits paid by health visitors and the employment of male home helps have
already been mentioned. There are a number of agencies—statutory and voluntary
—concerned with the welfare of the aged and the aim has been to maintain the
closest contact with them with regard to such matters as meals, suitable accommodation
and general care and attention. Fuller co-ordination is, however, essential in
order to prevent the aged from becoming bedfast unnecessarily and to free hospital
beds so that those who are fit to return home may be enabled to do so.
Welfare of
old people
The heavy demand on this service continued, but requests for admission of very
young babies showed, fortunately, some decrease. The priorities for admission laid
down by the Council were closely adhered to but every effort was made to secure
temporary admission during the illness of a mother. The use of child-minders would
reduce the demand for day nursery admission, but the number available is very
limited. A number of private day nurseries have been registered by the Council,
under the Nursery and Child-Minders Regulations Act, 1948.
Day
nurseries
Attendances at the school treatment centres showed a steady increase. Extra
nutrition and vision clinics were started, and regular audiometer sessions commenced.
An orthodontic session was opened at King's College Hospital. Arrangements were
made for certain rheumatic children to receive physiotherapy and special cases were
seen by the consulting cardiologist at King's College Hospital. A school treatment
organiser was attached to the medical out-patient department at the Children's
Hospital, Sydenham, at the request of the physician.
School
Health
Service