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133
Home help
service
The home help service increased slightly, the number of hours worked by home
helps in 1953 being 467,682 as compared with 453,842 in 1952, an increase of about
three per cent. The number of cases attended increased by seven per cent.
Care of old
people
It is interesting to note the extent to which the divisional services were allocated to
the care of old people. In the home help service approximately 82 per cent of the cases
helped were old people, assistance being given, not only in housework, but in shopping
and other small services. A number of old people also received assistance under the
arrangements for the night service of home helps to 'sit-in' with aged chronic sick
persons. In addition almost half of the cases visited by the District Nursing Association
were to old persons, and the Council's health visitors included, as a normal part of their
duties, the visiting of old people when requested by general practitioners, almoners of
hospitals and others.
Diversional
therapy—
tuberculous
patients at
home
The experimental scheme of diversional therapy for tuberculous patients at home,
started in Paddington in 1952, was extended throughout the division, and there were
at the end of the year three part-time diversional therapists (equivalent to one full-time
unit), visiting tuberculous persons in their homes and instructing them in handicrafts,
etc. The scheme has been verv well received.
Evening
sessions—
Sessions for working mothers who were unable to attend ante-natal clinics during
the day were held in Hampstead, Paddington and St. Pancras. Six evening dental
sessions were held in Paddington, Westminster and St. Pancras.
Health
education
Existing activities designed to spread health education in the division were reviewed,
and a programme of expansion was approved and commenced. A separate room was
made available for health education purposes at all the principal centres in the division.
Specialist
services
(school
children)
In Westminster and St. Pancras areas there was a long waiting list of vision cases,
involving 2-3 months' delay. The provision of additional sessions is under discussion
with the Regional Hospital Board concerned. During the year the ear, nose and throat
services in St. Pancras and Paddington were transferred from the Council's school
clinics to the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital and the Paddington
Hospital respectively.
Premises
During the year the following additional accommodation was taken into use :
(a) St. Stephen s day nursery, Paddington (51 places) was opened on the 16th February,
and replaced the requisitioned premises at Maida Vale, (b) Westminster school treatment
centre, Alderney Street, replaced the premises at Rochester Row and Greencoat Place,
which were closed by the voluntary organisation on the 18th March. This centre met a
real need, and attendances at the various clinics there were very satisfactory.
Conclusion
I express my sincere appreciation of the loyal co-operation and successful work of all
my colleagues in the divisional health services.
Division 3, comprising the boroughs of Finsbury, Holborn and Islington.
Dr. Bertha E. A. Sharpe reports :
Medical
officers
Six full-time assistant medical officers were employed in the division, two of whom
also acted as deputy medical officers of health for the boroughs of Finsbury and Islington.
Most of the assistant medical officers and health visitors were engaged in both the
maternity and child welfare and school health services.
Co-operation
with hospitals
and general
practitioners
Special arrangements continued with the Hospital for Sick Children whereby
medical reports were received following the discharge of patients. All cases were
followed up by the health visitors and school nursing sisters and the reports were made
available, without delay, to the doctors responsible for the children. Requests were
received from hospitals in the area for reports on home conditions before patients were
discharged, and reports on patients after their discharge were given to the hospitals on
request. 450 aged and infirm persons were referred during the year by hospitals and
general practitioners for supervision by health visitors. Close co-operation was maintained
with family doctors and regular meetings with hospital almoners were held to
improve co-ordination.