London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

London County Council 1951

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

80
Recuperative holidays
The demand for recuperative holidays continued steadily hut the number of
persons provided with such holidays were fewer than in the previous year, mainly
due to the need of economy and the acceptance of only those where a recuperative
holiday was really essential.
Unaccompanied
children
Increased accommodation was made available at the Council's recuperative
holiday home at Littlehampton for children between the ages of four and eight years,
and parties of 30 children aged between seven and 15 years were sent during the
year to private hotel accommodation under the Council's private hotel scheme. The
services of voluntary organisations, such as the Invalid Children's Aid Association,
Women's Voluntary Services, Jewish Board of Guardians, Children's Country Holiday
Fund and the Wandsworth Peace Memorial, continued to be used for the provision
of recuperative holidays for unaccompanied children. Special arrangements were
made to send a limited number of educationally subnormal boys for a recuperative
holiday.
The Council's recuperative holiday home for children under the age of five years
at Mavfield. Sussex, was closed on 30th April. 1951.
Expectant
and
nursing
mothers
and
accompanied
young
children
and
other
adults
The Council placed direct in recuperative holiday homes the majority of adults
and accompanied young children, but the Family Welfare Association was used as a
placing agency in a few especially difficult cases. The services of the St. Henry
Convalescent Fund were also used for the provision of recuperative holidays for a
small number of adults and accompanied children. The co-operation of the Spero
Fund for the Welfare of Tuberculous Workers was continued in the placing of tuberculous
persons in recuperative holiday homes.
Further recuperative holiday home accommodation was approved during the
year, particularly of the small private hotel type where suitable facilities were available.
Two additional homes were approved for the reception of tuberculous persons recommended
for recuperative holidays.

The following is a statement of admissions to recuperative holiday homes during the year:—

Unaccompanied childrenExpectant and nursing mothers and accompanied young childrenOther adults
Under 5 yearsSchool childrenMothersChildren
1950154842553405663439
1951130980012193863154

Health Education
The main health education effort continued to be that addressed to individuals
and to small groups by the medical and health visiting staffs in the course of their
normal duties. In addition, some maternity and child welfare centres have formed
parents' clubs, and health talks, illustrated by films or film-strips, have been given to
them in the evenings.
The "silent" side of the work has continued with the use of the exhibition
stands and topics of the Central Council for Health Education and of the posters and
leaflets published by the several associations connected with the promotion of positive
health. The various subjects, vaccination, accidents in the home, infectious diseases,
etc., etc., are selected to suit local circumstances, and no attempt, apart from the
intensive campaign against diphtheria, is made to synchronise displays in the county.
This method allows elasticity and local initiative.