Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The nature of the calls answered with comparative figures for 1949 were:—
1949 | 1950 | Increase or decrease | |
---|---|---|---|
Street accidents | 10,379 | 12,287 | + 1,908 |
Other accidents | 14,588 | 16,761 | + 2,173 |
Assault cases | 1,216 | 1,395 | + 179 |
Attempted suicide | 590 | 739 | + 149 |
Mental | 443 | 541 | + 98 |
Epilepsy | 1,349 | 1,373 | + 24 |
Other sudden illness | 14,155 | 16,865 | + 2,710 |
Maternity | 23,187 | 23,788 | + 601 |
Analgesis apparatus delivered to women being confined at home | 6,972 | 6,311 | – 661 |
*Special cases | 220 | 298 | + 78 |
Ambulance not required | 4,281 | 5,018 | + 737 |
77,380 | 85,376 | + 7,996 |
*Including transfer of accident cases taken to hospital within previous 24 hours.
General Section Persons conveyed and mileage
Patients | Others | Total | Mileage | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1938 | 217,908 | 102,520 | 320,428 | 1,930,172 |
1947 | 182,206 | 129,599 | 311,805 | 1,768,550 |
1948 | 239,157 | 130,335 | 369,492 | 2,072,545 |
1949 | 362,963 | 189,468 | 552,431 | 2,808,550 |
1950 | 480,048 | 220,017 | 700,065 | 3,041,569 |
(ii) Agency and Supplementary Services
Except for the West Ham Ambulance Service which by agreement carries out
removals on behalf of the Council in those parts of the Borough of Woolwich north of
the river Thames, the following agency arrangements have been in force only since
5th July, 1948 (the " appointed day " under the National Health Service Act, 1946).
Comparative statistics for 1949 and 1950 were:—
1949 | 1950 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Patients carried | Mileage | Patients carried | Mileage | |
Home Service Ambulance Department | 9,557 | 376,564 | 7,966 | 281,183 |
County of London Hospital Car Service | 107,667 | 1,496,090 | 144,669 | 1,787,434 |
*City of London Police Ambulance Service | 835 | 2,619 | — | — |
West Ham Ambulance Service | 113 | 1,468 | 246 | 4,373 |
118,172 | 1,876,741 | 152,881 | 2,072,990 |
* Agency terminated 5th July, 1949.
PREVENTION OF ILLNESS : CARE AND AFTER-CARE
Health education
The main health education effort continued to be that of the health visitors to
individual mothers and to small groups, either in the maternity and child welfare
centres or in the homes. More organised talks to larger groups in the centres were
arranged by several of the divisions and visual aids (films and film-strips) were used
to advantage.