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 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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General Section Persons conveyed
| Patients | Others | Total | Mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 217,908 | 102,520 | 320,428 | 1,930,172 |
| 1947 | 182,206 | 129,599 | 311,805 | 1,708,650 |
| 1948 | 239,157 | 130,335 | 369,492 | 2,072,545 |
| 1949 | 362,963 | 189,468 | 552,431 | 2,808,550 |
(ii) AGENCY AND SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES
Comparative statistics for the period 5th July, 1948 (the "appointed day"
under the National Health Service Act, 1946), to 31st December, 1948, and the
year ended 31st December, 1949, are:—
| 5th July to 31st Dec., 1948 | Year 1949 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients carried | Mileage | Patients carried | Mileage | |
| Home Service Ambulance Department of the Joint Committee of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and the British Red Cross Society | 5,454 | 204,048 | 9,557 | 376,564 |
| County of London Hospital Car Service | 30,052 | 430,121 | 107,667 | 1,496,090 |
| City of London Police Ambulance Service | 907 | 2,546 | *835 | 2,619 |
| West Ham Ambulance Service | 37 | 469 | 113 | 1,468 |
| Totals | 36,450 | 637,184 | 118,172 | 1,876,741 |
* Agency arrangements terminated 5th July, 1049.
PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE AND AFTER-CARE
Treatment of Tuberculosis
Chest Clinic
Service
The number of cases of tuberculosis on the notification registers at 31st
December, 1949, was 38,193 compared with 36,809 at the end of 1948 and 30,091 at
the end of 1938.
The arrangement under which the chest physicians, as officers of the Council,
devote part of their time to prevention, care and after-care, and the remainder of
their time, as officers of the regional hospital boards, to the treatment of patients,
has continued to operate satisfactorily.
Extra
nourishments
for
tuberculous
persons
The provision of extra nourishment for tuberculous persons on the recommendation
of the chest physicians was continued, a charge being made in accordance
with a scale of assessment approved by the Council. Persons in receipt of National
Assistance allowances were excluded from the arrangement since, as tuberculous
persons, they receive allowances on a higher scale than non-tuberculous persons, to
cover the cost of the extra nourishments they require.
Boardingout
of
Child
Contacts
As in previous years, children were boarded-out under the Tuberculosis
Contact Scheme when they were in danger of being infected with tuberculosis at
home or when their parent or parents were recommended for, or were receiving,
residential treatment for tuberculosis, and other arrangements for the care of the
children were not possible. The arrangements for boarding-out continued to be
made by the Invalid Children's Aid Association on behalf of the Council. Because
of the shortage of suitable foster-homes, much accommodation was provided by the
Council in its residential schools, homes and nurseries, but as the number of fostermothers
gradually increased the number of children placed in the Council's
establishments was reduced. The position at the end of the year was that about
half the children were accommodated with foster-mothers and half in the Council's
establishments.
There was a steady increase throughout the year in the number of children
boarded-out, the average during the first half of the year being 305 and for the