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135
General
tion of illness and distress.
The divisional staff have worked at high pressure but have responded admirably
to the increasing duties devolving upon them. Excellent co-operation has been
received from the medical officers of health of Camberwell and Lewisham and relationships
with the staffs of hospitals, the general practitioners and the many
voluntary organisations in the division have been most cordial.
Division 8, comprising the boroughs of Bermondsey, Lambeth and Southwark.
Dr. W. H. S. Wallace reports:—
Premises
The administration of the services in the division was continued from the
divisional offices with sub-offices in each of the boroughs. A new sub-office was
opened in Lambeth as the accommodation at the Lambeth Town Hall was no longer
available. The new sub-office has proved very satisfactory and it has the advantage
of having a shop window where arrangements are being made for displays of health
education material.
The maternity and child welfare services continued to function smoothly. The
voluntary committee at the Norwood centre gave up control of the centre and its
administration was handed over to the Council. The Moffat welfare centre was moved
to new premises at Alford House. The old premises were unsatisfactory and the
rooms rented in the Alford House Youth Club, which is situated nearby, afford a
considerable improvement.
Ante-natal
clinics
There was a decline in the number of mothers attending the ante-natal clinics
throughout the division. This was in part due to a decline in the birth-rate and in
part to the fact that hospitals encouraged mothers to attend the hospital ante-natal
clinics. The number of ante-natal sessions at which medical officers attend was
therefore reduced. Midwives' sessions are now held at nearly all centres in the
division.
Medical
officers
Arrangements were made with hospitals in the division for exchange of medical
officers at welfare clinics with medical officers in the hospitals. The clinic medical
officers on the Council's staff are undertaking out-patient sessions at Guy's and
King's College hospitals and in-patient sessions at St. Olave's Hospital and in
exchange hospital medical officers are undertaking infant welfare sessions. This
gives most valuable experience to both sides, keeping clinic medical officers in touch
with recent medical treatment and giving the hospital medical officers experience
in the work of the Council's preventive services.
School
health
service
In the school health service there was an increase in the number of children
requiring refractions and a new eye clinic was opened at Page's Walk School and
one extra session in every four week period became necessary at the Norwood school
treatment centre. The Royal Eye Hospital continued to provide 10 ophthalmic
surgeon's sessions and 20 orthoptist's sessions a week for school children but there
was still a waiting list involving a wait of approximately six weeks. The number of
children recommended for tonsil and adenoid operations remained high. "T &
A" operations had to be cancelled twice during the year on account of the prevalence
of poliomyelitis. In spite of this 240 operations were performed at St. George's
Dispensary during the year. The year showed a decline in the number of children
attending minor ailment centres and both doctors' and nursing treatment hours
were reduced accordingly.
Day
nurseries
There were still long waiting lists lor admission to the day nurseries although
there was some decline in the number especially in the Norwood area. The policy
of applying the Council's priority rules to children who had been in the nurseries
before the priorities were adopted was carried out. As a result many children were
excluded. Child-minders were available to meet the needs of children so excluded
in the Lambeth area but there was difficulty in obtaining child-minders in Bermondsey
and Southwark. The Divisional Health Committee directed that all but two of the