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136
day nurseries in the division (Bishop's House and Coldharbour Lane) should be closed
on Saturday mornings. Repairs and redecorations continued to the nursery buildings;
Coral Street, Cowley, Gipsy Hill, Knight's Hill, Tenda Road and Tulse Hill
nurseries and also North Brixton welfare centre were completely redecorated
during the year.
Housing
The transfer to the division of the scheme for recommending re-housing
priorities on medical grounds was carried out smoothly. The medical officers
on the whole-time staff assess the priorities. The administration of this scheme by
the divisions has the advantage that all concerned with the housing conditions of
the applicants, health visitors, after-care workers, and almoners are in close touch
with each other and the medical officers can readily obtain full information regarding
the families. Many requests for housing reports have been received from almoners
as doctors at the hospitals wish to have full information regarding home conditions
before giving medical recommendations for re-housing.
The other personal health services provided, including home helps, home nursing
and recuperative holidays continued to be in great demand.
Division 9, comprising the boroughs of Battersea and Wandsworth.
Dr. Bertha E. A. Sharpe reports:—
The difficulty in administration referred to in my report of two years ago still
exists, owing to the fact that there is not a centralised office. Every effort has
been made to overcome this handicap.
The number of births in the division this year was 621 less than in 1949, i.e., a
drop of 8"6 per cent. This is naturally reflected in much of the work of the division.
The number of women attending the ante-natal clinics fell and the total attendances
dropped. The attendances at child welfare clinics also fell in proportion to the
decline in the birth-rate.
Aged
chronic
sick
The problem of dealing adequately with the aged chronic sick is unsolved.
The fact that this division has the lowest birth-rate and the highest death-rate
suggests that the average age is high. The shortage of hospital beds causes long
delays in admission and the best that the local personal health service can do is
to alleviate home conditions. As an example of the kind of help given, one of the
Samaritan Funds provided hot water bottles for all the aged sick known to be short
of fuel during the cold spell in the latter part of the year. It is not without significance
that the number of visits made by the district nursing associations has increased
by over 11,000 compared with 1949, i.e., '210 a week.
Tuberculosis
The Balham chest clinic shared premises with a child welfare clinic. In the
autumn it proved possible to end this unsatisfactory occupation and the chest clinic
was transferred to the Weir Hospital. The home visits to tuberculous patients
which I stated last year to be too infrequent still fell short of what is desirable,
despite the appointment of an additional tuberculosis health visitor. This was due
to an increase in the number of clinic sessions.
A diversional therapy scheme for patients who are "homebound" was organised
towards the end of the year. Voluntary instructors visit the patients' homes and
the working material is provided by the Tuberculosis Care Committees. The
finished articles will be sold and the patient will be allowed to receive up to £1 a
week without imperilling his benefits under the National Insurance Act. It is hoped
to develop this scheme which is only in its infancy.
Recuperative
holidays
A qualified teacher was appointed to the Wandswortn Handicraft Class in October.
The applications for holidays remained stead)' but the percentage placed through
the division increased:—
from 25 per cent. to 62 per cent. for mothers and accompanied children,
from 25 per cent. to 51 per cent. for unaccompanied children,
from 31 per cent. to 42 per cent. for adults.