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and the use of labour and materials in health service projects, and because a part of
the site had been earmarked for Civil Defence purposes. The building was finally
completed in the early part of the year and was opened for clinics on 14th April. The
accommodation, in addition to ante-and post-natal clinics, comprises a combined
weighing and lecture room with a kitchen annexe which can be used for cookery
demonstrations, a room for health visitors, and a separate office for the centre superintendent.
This excellent modern centre replaces the former Bethnal Green welfare
centre at Cornwall Avenue. The centre was named after Dr. W. P. Greenwood,
Superintendent of Bethnal Green Hospital, who attended a house-warming ceremony
at the centre shortly before his untimely death.
The Will Crooks centre in Wigram House was provided to replace the former
centre at 154 Poplar High Street, the site of which was urgently required by the Housing
Committee as part of the Poplar High Street Housing Scheme. Efforts to find other
suitable accommodation having failed, the Housing Committee agreed to make
available three flats on the ground floor of Wigram House and these were adapted to
provide a small but pleasant welfare centre which was opened on 26th May. Accommodation
consists of doctor's room, health visitors' office, a weighing room, two
waiting rooms, a room which is used for interviews and for artificial sunlight treatment,
patients' and staff cloakrooms, a small kitchen and a food store and food sales room.
The centre, like the housing estate in which it is situated, was named after the late Will
Crooks, the well known Poplar pioneer in social reform.
Day
nurseries
For some time the future of the Columbia Market day nursery, Bethnal Green,
had been in doubt, and the Education Committee who own these premises finally
decided that they were urgently needed for their original purpose, i.e. as a nursery
school. The day nursery, therefore, had to close and alternative accommodation was
found for most of the 60 children. The majority of these were transferred to the
Brunswick day nursery in Shoreditch, which is quite near to the Columbia Market
day nursery, and all other children who required it were found accommodation elsewhere.
With regard to day nursery accommodation in the division, there had for some
time been an increasing difficulty in finding places in the Stepney nurseries for children
in the higher priority groups and the overall position was worsened by the loss of
Columbia Market day nursery. The most acute shortage of places had been in the
2-5 age group, and to help meet this difficulty steps were taken to extend the accommodation
at the Mary Hughes day nursery to provide 10 more places in this category.
It is hoped that this additional accommodation will be available early in 1956.
Welfare
foods
The selection of distribution points for welfare foods in the division, made when
responsibility for this service passed to the Council in 1954, appears to have been
satisfactory and to have met the public demand which shows no sign of diminution at
present.
Sessions
All clinic sessions are reviewed periodically and alterations in their frequency and
duration are made as circumstances demand. Several such adjustments were made
during the year, the minor ailment sessions at the Rochelle Street and Bethnal Green
school treatment centres and the ante-natal sessions at the East India Dock Road
centre being reduced to 'short-sessions', while a fortnightly toddlers' session was
substituted for an infant welfare session at the Mary Hughes welfare centre.
Dental
service
The position with regard to the priority dental services showed little change during
the year, and the difficulty in recruiting dental surgeons continued to prevent any real
expansion of these services.
Childminders
At the end of the year there were 92 voluntary registered minders caring for
88 children. This showed a reduction of 36 minders but a reduction of only one child
being cared for, and was due to an intensive review of the list of minders. The minders
are under constant supervision by the health visitors and attend clinics regularly with
the children in their care.
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