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129
Institute of Education to provide, commencing in the autumn term, the necessary
academic facilities for the student health visitors. Of 155 student health visitors trained
since 1948,152 were successful in the examination for the health visitor's certificate, and
of these, 87 were still in the Council's service as health visitors at the end of 1953.
Night help
service
Mention is made on p. 77 of the introduction of a new scheme under which staff,
designated night helps, 'sit in' all night with aged and chronic sick persons requiring
constant attendance. After negotiation with the trade unions concerned the Council
prescribed as the appropriate rate of pay for employees in this service, the current rate
for home helps working at night, with an allowance at the rate of 4d. an hour in
recognition of the special responsibilities borne by them.
Child help
service
The provision of experimental arrangements for taking care, in their homes, of two
or more children temporarily deprived of parents or guardians (vide p. 77) involved
the negotiation of rates of pay for the staff operating the scheme, who were designated
child helps. The amount of time required to be worked by the helps and the responsibility
involved varies according to the circumstances in each household and a range of
pay (£7 10s. to .£8 8s. 9d. a week) was adopted to enable appropriate remuneration
to be applied for each assignment.
Staff medical
examinations
The number of references to the department for medical examination or advice
concerning the health of staff, or the fitness of candidates for appointment, was 13,855
compared with 13,436 in 1952. 167 members of the staff were found to be permanently
unfit for further duty with the Council and 251 candidates were unfit for appointment.
Reciprocal arrangements with provincial authorities for the examination locally of
new entrants were continued. Provincial medical officers of health arranged for the
examination of 32 entrants to the Council's service and the Council's medical officers
examined 43 persons for provincial appointments.
The Council's staff medical examiners made 68 home visits to examine members of
the staff who were unable to travel, compared with 70 during 1952.
Food handlers
in contact
with infectious
diseases
In co-operation with the restaurants and catering department arrangements were
made for the bacteriological examination of specimens from members of the staff of
the school meals service who had been absent from work suffering from illnesses which
might have given rise to food-borne infection and those who had been in contact with
such illness in their own homes. During the year 141 persons (including 34 contacts)
were examined, all but five of whom were allowed to return to work after examination.
The five who were regarded as infectious were referred to their private doctors for
treatment before being allowed back on duty.
During the year this system was extended to cover food handlers employed in the
welfare department.
FINANCE
the total capital expenditure on the health services of the Council in the year ended Capital
31st March, 1953, was .£161,589, details of which are as follows :
Ambulance service :—
£
Adaptation and extension
9,774
New vehicles
16,043
Children's Holiday Home, Littlehampton—adaptation
2,781
Day nurseries—acquisition, adaptation, erection
46,598
District nursing—purchase of cars
3,439
Maternity and child welfare centres—acquisition and erection
5,234
Occupation Centre—appropriation and adaptation
16,748
Woodberry Down Health Centre
52,824
Other Health Centres
8,148
161,589