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the B.B.C. and had good publicity in the Press and by a wide distribution of invitations,
printed programmes and handbills. It was opened by the Chairman of the Health
Committee and was very well attended by the general public and by senior boys and
girls from schools who arrived in parties at 15-minute intervals throughout school
hours. Several hospitals sent carries of student nurses and other officers.
Vaccination
and
immunisation
While there was a slight fall in the number of children vaccinated against smallpox
there was a substantial increase in the number receiving primary immunisation and
reinforcing doses against diphtheria. Even so, despite continued efforts by all available
means of publicity to persuade parents to have their babies immunised, the number who
were protected remained regrettably low.
St. Quintin
welfare centre
The delightful new St. Quintin welfare centre in North Kensington was opened in
July. This centre replaced the Dalgarno Gardens centre which was destroyed by bombing.
It is designed and decorated on modern lines and is a most attractive, spacious
and well-equipped centre which is greatly appreciated by the mothers. The opening
of this centre provided a further opportunity of integrating the maternity and child
welfare and school health services as the doctors and health visitors working at the centre
also attend the local schools.
Welfare clinic
for mentally
defective
children
A welfare session for mentally defective children was opened during the year at the
Campden Hill welfare centre, Kensington. The doctor is specially experienced in
mental deficiency as well as in infant welfare, and mothers attend with their children for
advice, information and help in their special problems. The number of applications from
mothers for appointments at this session shows that it is fulfilling a real need.
Day nurseries
Endge House day nursery, Fulham, was only in partial occupation during the first
half of the year owing to extensive repairs on acquisition of the premises and the
measures which had to be taken to eliminate dry rot. Reference is made on page 53 to
the closure of the St. James day nursery, Fulham ; fortunately the work at Eridge
House was completed about this time and many of the children could be transferred, the
remainder being accommodated at other nurseries in the area.
In order to provide more nursery accommodation in Fulham it was decided that a
scheme should be drawn up to bring the upper floor of Grove House day nursery,
Fulham, into use for children between two and five years of age. Work to provide the
additional sanitary accommodation which will be necessary is to be undertaken in 1955.
It was learned with great regret that St. Charles day nursery, Kensington, would
have to be closed early in 1955 and that it could not be replaced. To offset this loss to some
extent, it was decided that the annexe at Kensal House day nursery, Kensington, should
be reopened. This will provide accommodation for about six babies and ten children
between one and two years of age but considerable adaptations and improvements will be
necessary and a scheme to be carried out as early as possible in 1955, was prepared
during the year. Arrangements have also been made to accommodate, so far as space
permits, some Kensington children in neighbouring nurseries in Paddington (Division 2).
There has been a marked change in the demand for nursery accommodation, that
for babies having increased while there have been vacancies for older children. At the
end of the year about 25 per cent, of the available accommodation was occupied by
children of families in the third priority group whose income exceeds -£9 a week, but
in no case has this resulted in the exclusion of children in the higher priorities.
School health
To increase the facilities for dental treatment of school children at the Hammersmith
centre, the rheumatism, vision, orthoptic and ear, nose and throat sessions were transferred
to the Milson Road welfare centre, Hammersmith.
Dental
treatment
The two dental surgeries at St. Dunstan's Road centre, Fulham, are now working
full-time. The adaptation of the Westbourne Grove centre, Kensington, as a dental
surgery was completed, but it could not be brought into use owing to lack of dental
staff.
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