View report page

77
accommodated in their children's homes, and a recognition of the fact that it is in many
cases in the old people's own interests to be enabled to remain in their own homes.
Although the total number of applications for help in 1953 was greater than in 1952,
the applications in confinement cases fell. This fall has persisted for several years, and
is associated with the falling birth rate and the decline in the proportion of confinements

In times of heavy pressure it has not always been possible to supply as much service
as considered desirable ; as in the past, the policy has been to supply some service to all
in need, and this year only 53 applications had to be deferred or refused owing to
inability to supply, compared with 215 in the previous year.
Might helps
Two new extensions of the domestic help service, were introduced during the year
The first, which was mentioned in the 1952 Annual Report, was a service of night help
to attend chronic sick patients in their own homes to enable the relatives caring for thi
patients to get one or two nights' sleep a week. The night helps attend from 11 p.m. t<
7 a.m. and perform those duties, other than nursing, which normally fall to a relative
The demand on the service since its inception on 1st January, 1953, was small, but it i
possible that the demand will grow as the service becomes more widely known.
Child helps
The second service, the need for which was touched upon in the 1952 annual report,
was the provision of child helps to care for two or more children, in their own homes,
who are temporarily deprived of the care of both parents and have no other adult ir
the home at night. The object of the service is to obviate the necessity of children ir
such circumstances being taken into care, often with consequent emotional disturbances
The child help, who must be selected with great care, performs the usual householc
tasks normally undertaken by the mother and sleeps in the home. The first year of th<
service is on an experimental basis and since its inception on 1st December, 1953, twc
cases were assisted. If the father or another adult can take care of the children at night
the family is provided with a daytime home help, who if necessary can take over from
the father early in the morning and can remain on duty during the evening until he
returns from work.
IMMUNISATION AND VACCINATION
Diphtheria immunisation
facilities for the immunisation of children against diphtheria are provided at the
Council's child welfare centres, special immunisation clinics, day nurseries, schools and
residential establishments in London. Parents may, if they prefer, have their children
immunised by the family doctor, who receives a fee of 5s. for each completed record
of immunisation sent to the Council. Prophylactic material approved for national free
issue is provided by the Council to general medical practitioners on request.
The total number of children immunised against diphtheria for the first time in 1953
was 36,004 and in addition 33,172 ' boosting ' doses were given.