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Prevention of
accidents in
the home
To ensure that there was unison in the division in efforts to educate the public on
the need for precautions to be taken for the prevention of accidents in the home, a
conference was arranged between representatives of the various statutory and voluntary
organisations concerned, including the borough medical officers of health, the Divisional
Officer (Education) members of the British Red Cross Society, Women's Voluntary
Services, Old People's Welfare Associations, health visitors, home help organisers and
senior divisional staff. In addition to propaganda in connection with the Home Safety
Week arranged by the Council in December exhibits were on show at the divisional
health exhibition and at clinics at various times throughout the year. In addition posters
were displayed and pamphlets were distributed at clinics and offices.
Welfare foods
The distribution of welfare foods was taken over from the Ministry of Food in
July and the transfer operated without difficulty. Welfare foods were already being
distributed by the divisional staff at a number of welfare clinics and care was taken to
arrange the new scheme in such a way as to maintain a service no less convenient to the
public than that previously provided jointly by the Council and the Ministry of Food.
With one exception the service is now concentrated in establishments associated with
other maternity and child welfare services and, apart from the manifest advantage and
convenience of this association to the mothers, the changes enabled some administrative
economies to be effected.
Co-operation
with general
practitioners
I have kept in close touch with the secretaries of the local divisions of the British
Medical Association and the local representatives of the Local Medical Committee with
i view to further strengthening and improving the relationship and co-operation between
:he general practitioner and health visitor. Any request from a general practitioner for
:he help of a health visitor for one of his patients has immediate attention and personal
:ontacts between health visitors and local doctors are encouraged.
In conclusion I must give my very sincere thanks to the Chairman and members of
:he Divisional Health Committee for their constant support and interest. I should also
ike to acknowledge with gratitude the co-operation of the medical officers of health
}f the four Metropolitan Boroughs, of the staff of all other departments of the Council
ind the members and staff of the many voluntary committees and associations in the
division. Finally it is a pleasure to pay a tribute to the loyal and able help of all my
:olleagues on the divisional staff.
The year closed with the retirement of the Divisional Administrative Officer, Mr. LWelsh,
and I should like to place on record my sincere appreciation of his outstanding
ibility, energy and wisdom which contributed so much to building up the divisional
Drganisation and service since its inception in July 1948.
Division 2, comprising the boroughs of Hampstead, Paddington, St. Marylebone,
St. Pancras and Westminster.
Dr. H. L. Oldershaw reports :
Day nurseries
and
child-minders
I here was very little change in the number ot children in the nurseries during the
year and the occupation during the last quarter was 88 per cent, compared with 86
per cent, in 1953. About one-third of the children were in each of the first, second and
third priority groups, and the waiting list at the end of the year for all groups was 107,
as against 70 at the end of 1953. The number of statutorily and voluntarily registered
child-minders at the end of the year was 171, compared with 186 at the end of 1953.
School
medical
treatment
Most of the school medical treatments advised were given with little delay. There
has been a long waiting list for vision cases at the Westminster school treatment centre,
but authority was given for an extra session to be held. The transfer of the rheumatism
supervisory clinic from St. Georges Hospital to Victoria Hospital for Children took place
very smoothly in October, and the new arrangements are proving satisfactory. A special
investigation clinic was opened in Marylebone in April and the attendances remained at
a satisfactory level. An increasing number of enquiries were dealt with each week by
the Organiser who attended the audiology unit at Grays Inn Road.
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