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The Hackney Borough Council kindly agreed that its laundry facilities for incontinent
persons should be extended to cases coming to the notice of home help
organisers.
Problem
families and
help for
children
A standing Committee, consisting ot omcers ot ail departments ot the Council
concerned, representatives of the N.S.P.C.C., and other voluntary agencies met regularly
to consider assistance for problem families in the division. All possible action was taken
through the personal health services to avoid the necessity for children being taken into
care. In cases where, for example, mothers went into hospital or to prison, or where
desertion or matrimonial discord occurred the children were looked after through the
home help service, child-minders, or foster mothers or were admitted to day nurseries.
One problem family was assisted by sending the mother and some of her children to a
rehabilitation centre for a lengthy period of training.
Premises and
minor
improvements
The use of the Homerton store of the Hackney Metropolitan Borough Council was
discontinued and a saving was made by the use of vacant accommodation at the Sun
Babies day nursery as a divisional store and workshop for handymen.
Various minor improvements to premises were made or commenced during the
year, such as the acquisition of a strip of land adjoining, and the widening of, the side
entrance at the welfare centre at 186 Upper Clapton Road, and improvements to heating
arrangements and the layout of grounds at day nurseries.
Conclusion
I wish to place on record my appreciation of the support and encouragement given
by the Chairman and members of the Divisional Health Committee, of the helpful
co-operation of the borough medical officers of health and of the good work of the entire
divisional staff.
Division 5, comprising the boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar, Stepney and the City
of London.
Dr. G. O. Mitchell reports:
Premises
Reference is made on page 54 to the adaptation of two ground floor flats in Newmill
House, Bromley-by-Bow. This new maternity and child welfare centre came into use
on 3rd May and replaced the clinics held hitherto in the St. Michael's and All Hallows
Church halls. The new centre is excellent in every way and has four health visitors.
It is a notable addition to the maternity and child welfare facilities in this part of Poplar.
Early in 1953 the Council adopted a report for the adaptation of the derelict first
floor of the Mary Hughes building in Underwood Road, Whitechapel, as an infant
welfare centre in co-operation with the London Hospital. The work was completed
during the summer of 1954 (see page 54) and the first clinics were held there in June.
This new centre which is already flourishing, is an interesting experiment in liaison with
a teaching hospital, the chief feature being the teaching of medical students in a local
health authority clinic by a paediatrician from the London Hospital. The opportunities
thus afforded for medical students to see something of normal babies and children and
to have the health visitors at hand with their intimate knowledge of the families and
home conditions, are most valuable. In conjunction with the opening of this centre, the
Ashfield Street clinic ceased and was transferred to the new centre.
During the latter part of the year good progress was made in the construction of a
new maternity and child welfare centre adjacent to Bethnal Green Town Hall to replace
the present centre in Cornwall Avenue.
Day nurseries
since tne extension to tne university fiouse day nursery, wnicn was reterred to m
the 1953 Report, it has provided ideal facilities for training purposes; this nursery has
accordingly been designated a training nursery.
During the year Miss Reilly, matron of the St. Paul's (Voluntary) day nursery,
Wellclose Square, resigned after many years of devoted and self-sacrificing service to
the children in her charge. Owing to the relatively few numbers of children then
attending, the voluntary committee decided to close the nursery. The children thus
displaced were accommodated in other Stepney nurseries.
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