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The school minor ailment clinic has been combined, with advantage to both services,
with the nursing treatment provided on each week day for such of the general practitioners'
patients who need it.
The Dental Surgeon who conducts the general dental service has continued to be
fully employed for 11 sessions a week and has made representations, which have been
supported by the Council and were still under consideration at the end of the year, for
the appointment of a second Dental Surgeon.
Facilities at the centre have continued to be used for the training of the Council's
medical and nursing staff and health visitors.
The National Blood Transfusion Service held two blood donor sessions at the
centre during the year and a voluntary association was allowed to use accommodation
once a month for the meetings of a club for diabetics resident in the division.
Arrangements were made under which, as from 1st January, 1954, expectant mothers
attending for the first time at the Council's ante-natal clinics in the division were referred
for X-ray examination of the chest by mass radiography.
An additional ante-natal session was commenced at the welfare centre, 28 Lower
Clapton Road ; a weekly family planning session conducted by the Council's own
medical officer was inaugurated at the Richmond Road welfare centre and a Saturday
morning diphtheria immunisation session was started at the Hoxton school treatment
centre.
I Maternity
and child
' welfare
There were 8,164 ante-natal and 386 post-natal attendances at divisional clinics.
3,487 first attendances of infants under one year of age were made at the welfare centres
during the year, equal to 85 per cent, of children born during the year which was the
same proportion as in the previous year.
The demand for day nursery accommodation continued to wane and at most
nurseries there were some vacant places at the end of the year. In consequence of the
smaller demand, the approved accommodation for children at the Fernbank and Hillside
day nurseries was reduced and the Sylvester Path day nursery was closed. The total
number of child-places was thereby reduced from 666 to 603.
Day nurseries
and
child-minders
Six private day nurseries registered under the Nurseries and Child-Minders
Regulation Act, 1948, provided accommodation for 202 children and there were three
statutorily registered child-minders approved for the care of 11 children. At the end of
the year there were 70 approved daily minders.
The following comparison of educational sessions and attendances shows the good
results obtained during the year.
1 Health
education
sessions Attendances
1952 210 2,172
1953 288 5,421
1954 414 6,494
The advertising of health education subjects in the centres and day nurseries has
been greatly facilitated by the provision of many additional display boards. Further
equipment was provided for making-up into exhibits. The divisional establishments all
participated in the county-wide campaign in December concerning the prevention of
accidents in the home.
A total of 985 holidays were provided, including 400 for schoolchildren and 139 Recuperative
for children under school age. holidays
This service was developed as far as financial resources would permit. The following Home help
figures illustrate progress during the year : service
1952 1953 1954
(i) Total cases given help 2,928 3,293 3,645
(ii) No. of home helps employed on 1st
January (whole-time equivalent) 178 191 220
(iii) No. of home helps employed on 31st
December (whole-time equivalent) 191 220 249
135