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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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106
St. George's Hospital Rheumatism
St. George's in the East Hospital Aural
St. Mary's Hospital Eyes and aural
St. Mary Abbott's Hospital Aural
St. Marylebone General Dispensary Rheumatism
St. Thomas' Hospital Rheumatism
University College Hospital Enuresis
Western Ophthalmic Hospital Eyes
Westminster (All Saints Genito-Urinary) Enuresis
Co-operation
with
hospitals
Arrangements were continued with some of the former voluntary hospitals
whereby one or more of the Council's treatment organisers attended 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 were 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.
There were in addition several hospitals where the treatment organiser undertook
the making of appointments for the dental and tonsil and adenoid departments
although she was not present at the sessions. She also did the following-up of school
children in co-operation with the almoner.
In addition, the Council referred children for child guidance to twenty-two
hospitals and clinics within the national health service ; but Council organisers did
not attend these clinics.
As an example, the following table indicates the scope of the work of the organisers,
who acted as the link between Guy's hospital children's out-patient department, the
special clinics, the school health service doctors and the child care organisation.
In not a single instance did the child cease to attend before the completion of the case.
| Children's Dept. | Ear, nose and throat | Eyes | Orthopaedic | Skin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Orthoptic | |||||
| New school children seen | 368 | 530 | 289 | 65 | 180 | 189 |
| Attendances of current cases | 1,266 | 945 | — | 826 | 306 | 501 |
| Discharged—treatment completed | 170 | 227 | 105 | 16 | 88 | 27 |
| Referred to other departments | 74 | — | — | — | 34 | — |
| Lapsed through non-attendance | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Referred for operation | — | 258 | — | — | 31 | — |
| Glasses ordered | — | — | 274 | — | — | — |
| Glasses obtained | — | — | 327* | — | — | — |
| No glasses needed | — | — | 162 | — | — | — |
| Re-tested—no change of glasses | — | — | 224 | — | — | — |
| Referred to Child Guidance Clinic | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
* Includes spectacles ordered in 1949 the delivery of which was delayed until 1950.
The total number of attendances of L.C.C. children in departments covered by
the organisers was 6,684. Similar arrangements operated at the Evelina Hospital for
Children, in the same hospital group, where the total number of attendances in
departments covered by the organisers was 1,382.
Treatment
statistics
The following statistics of school treatment centres and the clinics held in hospitals
in association with the Council's treatment scheme show that there was a continued
increase in the volume of work in 1950, except at dental centres and rheumatism