View report page

149
Child
guidance
The work of the Brixton child guidance unit has increased steadily during the year.
It has been found to be particularly important to treat children with behaviour difficulties
at an early age. Many children under five have been referred to the unit and doctors
from the unit have attended the maternity and child welfare clinics to advise mothers
on problems of child management.
Recuperative
holidays
The demand for recuperative holidays has remained about the same as last year.
It is of interest to note that a large proportion (25 per cent.) of applications are cancelled
before placing is arranged. This is usually due to the fact that mothers are unable to leave
their families or to make other arrangements for the care of their children. Unfortunately,
Fairby Grange, a home for mothers and young children, was closed and there has been
some difficulty in finding alternative accommodation.
Health
education
The work of health education has been carried on throughout the year. The window
of the sub-office in Brixton Road, Lambeth, has been used for the display of health
education material.
Division 9, comprising the boroughs of Battersea and Wandsworth.
Dr. J. T. R. Lewis reports:
I had the honour to commence my duties as divisional medical officer, division 9,
on 7th January, 1952, and so this is the first report which I am privileged to make on
the health services in this division, which were formerly in the capable charge of
Dr. Bertha Sharpe. My two senior medical colleagues were also newly appointed to
the division as assistant divisional medical officers, and the divisional administrative
officer, after extensive experience of the public health service in another division had
been in this division only since the previous November. The divisional nursing officer
took over her duties at the inception of the divisional organisation and her experience
of the work in the area proved of the greatest value. Much time, therefore, has been
spent in 'feeling our way,' but some measure of positive work has also been achieved,
to which brief reference is made in the following report.
Premises
The Gideon child welfare centre in Battersea was closed for some months while
the adjoining school was demolished, but was later re-opened and returned to normal
working. A new child welfare centre was opened at Fairlight Hall, Tooting.
Steps have been taken to obtain additional school treatment accommodation to
replace premises which will shortly be vacated in Tooting.
Immunisation
and
vaccination
The number of children immunised against diphtheria and whooping cough
remained about the same as that for 1951, but the number of persons vaccinated was
20.7 per cent, fewer.
Day nurseries
In the fourteen day nurseries there are 683 places. Eleven of these nurseries are
recognised for the training of students. A review of places and attendances was carried
out during the year.
Special
investigation
clinics
The total number of sessions held at these clinics, which are concerned with the
problem of bed-wetting, was 220 and the attendance was 1,957. This shows an increase
of 5.2 per cent, and a decrease of 2 per cent, respectively on the figures for 1951. There
were 256 new patients.
Recuperative
holidays
The number of applications for recuperative holidays has remained fairly steady
but there has been a slight decrease in the percentage placed through the division
55 per cent, of the total placing were made direct compared with 62 per cent, in 1951.
Home help
service
Home helps attended 2,580 households, an increase of 10 per cent, over the previous
year's figures.
Home
nursing
Home nursing equipment has been lent to 24 patients compared with eight in 1950
and 29 in 1951. At the end of the year 19 patients were still using the equipment.
District nurses paid 183,814 visits, an increase of 19.5 per cent.
Health
education
As mentioned in last year s report, arrangements were made tor officers or the
borough councils to give talks to school children on milk and its processing and bottling,
designed to improve the condition of milk bottles returned from schools. These talks