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124
Division 5, comprising the boroughs of Bethnal Green. Poplar. Stepney and the City
of London.
Dr. G. 0. Mitchell reports:
Resiting of
Infant
Welfare
Clinic
There were no spectacular developments in this division in 1951. The health
services for which we are responsible ran smoothly from day to day, and we must
remain content with the modest but solid achievement of a year which, for us,
brought none of the headlines or floodlighting so appropriately associated with the
Festival of Britain. It is true that the Live Architecture of Lansbury was an impressive
exhibit in the division, but the health services have so far played little part
in this project. We benefited indirectly from Lansbury, however, since its development
necessitated the demolition of the old Guardians' Offices on the corner of
Upper North Street and Gough Grove, on the first floor of which we had an Infant
Welfare clinic. By suitably partitioning the rear portion of the School Treatment
Centre at 69, East India Dock Road, we were able to accommodate there not only
this Infant Welfare clinic but also the Home Helps Organiser for the Eastern Area
who was hitherto based on Poplar Town Hall. We have now a compact unit at
69, East India Dock Road, which is not entirely put to shame by being in Lansbury
but not of it.
School
Treatment
Centre
In January the Bethnal Green School Treatment Centre was transferred to
newly adapted premises in the Mowlem Street Special School building. This treatment
centre has had a chequered career. It began originally as a voluntary centre
in St. James.the.Less hall, but moved temporarily to St. John's School when the
church hall was completely destroyed by enemy action. In 1945 the centre was
again moved to the main school in Mowlem Street. The derelict special school
building has now been completely restored and adapted, and this treatment centre
is now handsomely and, we trust, permanently, rehoused ; and with additional
accommodation for dental treatment. But so far, unfortunately, no dentist has
become available for this work, and we are still without a dentist at the Ida Samuel
School Treatment Centre in Whitechapel. The decline in the school dental service
has been a most disappointing result of the National Health Service Act.
.School
Dental
Service
Liaison
with
Almoners
During the year the scheme agreed between the Council and the Regional
Hospital Boards, whereby the majority of home visits required by hospital almoners
are carried out by the Council's health visitors, came into force. This scheme is
working admirably, and periodic meetings are held with all the almoners in the
division for the discussion of mutual problems. This is a useful piece of liaison work.
Home
Helps
and
District
Nurses
The Home Help Service continued to meet a wide.spread need, particularly
among the aged, although the number of home helps available was still a little below
establishment. The various District Nursing Associations in the division gave their
usual unstinted services in the home nursing of the sick. Their ministrations,
together with the assistance of the home helps, succeeded in very many instances in
keeping the elderly sick comfortable in their own homes, thereby reducing the call
upon hospital beds. In some cases, however, where lone persons are concerned, even
the combined services of the district nurse and home help are insufficient, and
removal to hospital becomes inevitable.
Physio.
therapy
Toddlers'
Clinics
During the latter part of the year when the services of a full.time Physiotherapist
became available we were able to reintroduce some physiotherapy in the Poplar
Infant Welfare Clinics. Also in three of the Poplar clinics special sessions for Toddlers
were started.
We have begun to implement the Council's policy of "Combined Work," which
is an arrangement whereby certain health visitors and school nursing sisters become
inter.changeable and each carries out the duties of both a health visitor and a school
nursing sister. At the end of the year nine units of staff were engaged in this
combined work.
Combined
work