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138
Division 6, comprising the boroughs of Deptford, Greenwich and Woolwich.
Dr. F. R. Waldron reports:
Maternity
and child
welfare
The need for maternity and child welfare services on the recently built Coldharbour
Estate in New Eltham, which has over 1,500 dwellings and about 600 children between
two and five years old, was met, pending the provision of a comprehensive health
centre, by the use of the newly-erected St. Alban's Church hall referred to on page 52.
Infant welfare clinics with prophylaxis, toddlers' and ante-natal sessions, were held in
these premises from 15th October, 1053.
A development in the Blackheath Hill area of Greenwich with its new housing estates,
has been the use on certain days each week of the new Division 7 clinic at Merton Place,
Greenwich, known as Blackheath Hill Centre, for ante-natal and infant welfare sessions.
Special
investigation
clinics
Special investigation clinics were continued at the main centres at Deptford and
Eltham. The clinic in Greenwich (temporarily suspended in September) will be
resumed in the near future. The purpose of these clinics is to give more thorough
examination and guidance to children referred from infant welfare centres and school
medical examinations. It is already evident that early attention given to children with
minor behaviour problems is well worth while.
Foot clinics
Home help
service
Attendances at foot clinics totalled 75,600 as compared with 73,000 in 1952.
The number of households attended was 3,197, as compared with 3,286 in 1952.
The number of households being attended on 31st December, 1953, was, however, 1,820
as compared with 1,665 on the same date in 1952 and 1,450 in 1951. The work of home
helps was particularly appreciated during the influenza epidemic of January and
February, when the service worked under considerable pressure.
Health Centre,
Market Street
—rearrangement
There was a re-arrangement of accommodation at the Health Centre, Market Street,
Woolwich, designed to provide more convenient accommodation on the ground floor
for foot clinic patients and for the home help service. The light treatment room was
sub-divided to provide a smaller but adequate treatment room and a waiting room for
foot clinic patients and the home help service; former physical medicine treatment
rooms were converted into a 4-chair foot clinic and a small office for the home help
organiser and her staff. By this arrangement, patients for chiropody treatment were
saved climbing stairs and had much more satisfactory waiting room accommodation.
School
health
service
The unspectacular but exacting work of the school health service, which is of inestimable
value to future generations, continued in the closest concert with hospitals,
general practitioners, and voluntary workers.
The Ormiston Road school treatment centre, Greenwich, after functioning for
two and a half years in premises leased from the Welfare Committee, was closed in
September, 1953, as the services could be provided satisfactorily at other centres in the
locality. The minor ailments and vision clinics were transferred to Chevening Road
maternity and child welfare centre which is in close proximity. The speech therapy service
was transferred to Fairfield House centre, Charlton.
Day
nurseries
Structural modifications referred to on page 52 were carried out at the Health
Centre, Amersham Road, in order to enlarge the 30-place day nursery on the 1st floor
of the centre to one of 60 places. The enlarged nursery will, it is hoped, meet the needs
of the whole division. Evelyn Street day nursery (40 places), the only other day nursery
in the division, which structurally has reached the end of its useful life and is due to be
handed back to the Parks Department for providing an outlet from Deptford Park to the
main road, will be closed.
Health
services
exhibition
A successful health services exhibition, which had as its theme co-operation between
the various components of the health service, was held at the Health Centre, Amersham
Road, in May. Exhibits displayed features of the Council's maternity and child welfare,
domiciliary midwifery, day nursery, home help, chiropody and school nursing services.
The activities of other official and voluntary organisations were also prominently
featured and a mass miniature X-ray unit was in attendance. During the exhibition a