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77
The Council's ambulance service also rendered valuable assistance to the home
treatment scheme by conveying many patients by car or ambulance from homes to
clinics or hospitals for X-ray examinations, for lung collapse therapy, or associated
minor surgical treatment.
Homeless
infective
ambulant
tuberculous
men
Towards the end of 1950 the Council made arrangements for the opening of a
residential hostel for 35 working tuberculous men at premises which it owned at
20/22, Highbury Quadrant, Islington, N.5. Arrangements were also made for 40
homeless and severely disabled tuberculous men, unfit for work, to be accommodated
in a private establishment, St. Catherine's Hostel, Sopwell House, St. Albans.
On 26th February, 1951, the first 16 men were admitted to the St. Catherine's
Hostel and at the end of the year there were 37 in residence.
On 29th October, 1951, the Council's hostel at 20/22, Highbury Quadrant, N.5.
was ready and the first men were admitted. At the end of the year 17 men were in
residence.
A charge in respect of accommodation in these hostels is made by the Council to
the residents according to their means.
Rehahihtation
Patients who have sufficiently recovered to be able to undertake work either
return to their previous employment or start in other employment if their former work
is no longer available or is considered too arduous. They may, however, be assisted to
obtain new and more suitable employment by the local Disablement Resettlement
Officer of the Ministry of Labour or by the local tuberculosis care committee. Selected
patients are sent by the Council to "village settlements" where they undertake
courses of instruction in work suitable to their capacity and temperament. At the
end of 1951 the Council was financially responsible for 28 men and 2 women at the
British Legion Village, Preston Hall, Nr. Maidstone; 14 men at Papworth Village
Settlement, Nr. Cambridge; 5 men at the Enham Alamein Village Centre, Andover,
Hants; and 2 men at East Lanes. Tuberculosis Colony, Barrowmore Hall, Nr.
Chester. Considerable difficulty is experienced in finding suitable employment or
training for severely disabled and potentially infective tuberculous patients (the
"stable" chronics) and for these special "sheltered" workshops are urgently
needed
Boarding
open-air
schools
Certain children with a history of early, incipient or healed tuberculous infection
were admitted to boarding open-air schools for delicate children. No child with
known "open" or infectious tuberculosis was, however, admitted. The schools
maintained by the Council's Education Committee at the beginning of 1951 were:—
Burrow Hill Colony School, Frimley.
George Rainey School, St. Leonards-on-Sea.
Swanley Residential School, White Oak Hospital, Swanley.
Kathleen Schlesinger School, Nr. Henley.
Wanstead House, Cliftonville, Margate.
Bowden House School, Seaford.
Wainwright Residential School, Broadstairs.
These Schools provide 441 places for delicate children.
In addition some children were accommodated in private boarding open-air
schools.
The total number of children with a history of primary tuberculosis accommodated
in boarding open-air schools during 1951 was 57 (24 boys and 33 girls). At the end of
the year 34 such children, (18 boys and 16 girls) were still in these schools. This is a
service which provides suitable convalescence and educational facilities, in good
surroundings, for children who need "building up" for several months to tide them
over a "primary" infection.
Boarding
out of
child
contacts
As in previous years, children were boarded out under the Council's tuberculosis
contact scheme when they were exposed to infection at home, or when because a
parent or parents were receiving treatment for tuberculosis difficulties arose in
arranging for the care of the children. In addition, boarding out was arranged in