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living, lodging houses, small homes for the aged and infirm, homes for the blind and
hostels for persons in employment, to which reference was made in my report for
1950, were continued during the year under review.
Homeless
famities
units
At the end of the year 339 mothers and 792 children (of whom approximately
50 per cent. were under 5 years of age and 15 per cent, under 1 year of age) were
accommodated in the nine homeless families units attached to large homes. The
unavoidable overcrowding of these units due to pressure on the available accommodation,
coupled with the wide variation in the standard of living among the large
groups of mothers and children, continued to give rise to many difficulties. Regular
inspection of the units was undertaken by medical officers on the central staff to
supervise medical arrangements and hygiene, and in particular to advise on the
control of infection which, among communities of this type, demands constant
vigilance. Advice was also given to the Welfare Department in regard to special
diets for children under 5 years of age, and regular weekly visits made by health
visitors to advise mothers and to give talks on mothercraft. Mothers were also
encouraged to attend sessions at neighbouring maternity and child welfare centres
and preliminary arrangements were made to open an infant welfare centre at one of
the larger units early in 1952.
A nursery class for 22 children aged between 3 and 5 years has been opened by
the Education Department in one welfare home.
Care of the Chronic Sick
Attention has continued to be given to the needs of the considerable number of
chronic sick persons who remain in the Council's homes because of the present
shortage of suitable hospital beds and, as a result of discussions between the Welfare
Department and the Regional Hospital Boards, arrangements were made for a number
of them to be exchanged for suitable recovered infirm persons in hospital who could
not be discharged to their own homes.
There were, however, 603 chronic sick persons (187 men and 416 women)
accommodated in the homes at the end of the year and, as a large proportion were
either permanently bedridden or in need of treatment in varying degree, their
continued care has presented many varied and difficult problems. Sick bays have
been provided in some homes for the care of the aged suffering from temporary
illnesses for whom hospital beds were not available.
A conference of visiting medical officers was held at County Hall during the
year to discuss problems arising from the care of the chronic sick and the aged, and
similar meetings will be held in future at six-monthly intervals.
Invalid
Kitchens
of London
Reference was made in my report for 1950 to the activities of the Invalid
Kitchens of London. During the year the Council increased its grant to this
organisation's funds towards the cost of meals provided by them for sick persons
living in their own homes.
CHEMICAL BRANCH
The work of the branch was carried on during the year at the three laboratories
at County Hall and the Northern and Southern Outfall Works, and Mr. C. J. Regan,
the Chemist-in-Chief, has submitted the following report:—
The year 1951 will be remembered as "Festival of Britain Year" and it should
be recalled that it was timed to celebrate the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Both events, although planned to have a popular appeal, were designed to demonstrate
the progress made at their periods in the general standards of life. To this intent
science figured largely in the exhibits and the advances made in the intervening
century indicate the outstanding triumphs which have been achieved by its use and
development. For example, radio communication, television and the aeroplane are
now commonplaces of everyday life, but, in 1851, they had not even been invented.