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27
The number of maternity patients admitted to nursing homes during the year was
1,091 compared with 1,243 in 1951.
Thirty-eight exemptions from the operation of Part XI of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1936, were granted.
Visits of inspection to the homes were undertaken at regular intervals by medical
officers (103 inspections) and public health inspectors (153 inspections).
Close overall supervision of the homes and more frequent inspections of a number
of them resulted in an improvement in the general standard.
Welfare Committee establishments
The arrangements in regard to the medical supervision of all types of establishments
under the control of the Welfare Department, i.e., large homes, mother and baby homes,
rest centres, reception centres for persons without a settled way of 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 1952.
Homeless
families
units
At the end of the year 300 mothers and 634 children (of whom approximately
58 per cent. were under 5 years of age and 22 per cent. under 1 year of age) were
accommodated in the eight homeless families units attached to large homes. The
occasional 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 were 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 at one of the large units a weekly session was
held on the premises.
Mother and
baby units
Nursery classes for children aged between 3 and 5 years were conducted under
direction of the education officer at one of the large homes and at two of the rest centres.
Close supervision of the health of infants accommodated in mother and baby units
was continued during the year, and advice given on matters relating to diets and general
hygiene.
There were 9 cases of infective hepatitis during the year among families residing at
one of the rest centres. All those affected over a period of eight months were children
whose ages ranged between 2 and 11 years, and the many adults at risk escaped infection.
In one family, three children were affected. The exact mode of spread was not determined,
but syringe transmission was excluded.
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 acute shortage of suitable
hospital beds. While 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, the number accommodated in the homes at the end of the year was 479
(144 men and 335 women). A large proportion of these residents were either permanently
bedridden or in need of treatment in varying degrees and their continued care has given
rise to many varied and complex 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 further conference of visiting medical officers was held at County Hall during the
year to discuss problems associated with the care of the aged and chronic sick, and
preliminarv arrangements were made for a similar meeting to be held early in 1953.