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Home helps
The demand for the services of home helps was still heavy, and during the year
the households attended per 1,000 of the population again exceeded the London average.
Little difficulty is experienced in recruiting home helps in Bethnal Green and Poplar,
but there is considerable difficulty in Stepney.
Here again the demand for the services of the district nurses remained heavy and
throughout the year the number of visits per nurse was generally higher than that in
any other division.
District
nursing
In the field of health education, the preparatory work of previous years is beginning
to show results which are seen chiefly in the increased interest of the mothers and the
increasing attendances at health talks and demonstrations.
Health
visitors
An ante-natal relaxation class was instituted at the Bromley welfare centre at
Newmill House.
There was encouraging evidence of improving co-operation between health visitors
and general practitioners, and arrangements have been made for a series of informal
meetings at welfare centres where local general practitioners are invited to meet the
health visitors.
School health
service
The provision of physiotherapy was introduced during the year for pupils attending
schools for physically handicapped children. Bromley Hall school, after being adapted
and equipped for the purpose, became the centre for this work, the physiotherapy
being carried out by staff from the London Hospital.
During the year the scheme for vaccinating 13-year-old schoolchildren with B.C.G.
was introduced. After a preliminary meeting with the head teachers of the secondary
schools to explain the scheme and to invite their help, 1,511 children were vaccinated
in the schools, parental consent having been obtained for 81 per cent. of the children
eligible. The success of the scheme has been largely due to the co-operation of the
head teachers and I am most grateful to them for their continued support of this new
and important venture.
Division 6, comprising the boroughs of Deptford, Greenwich and Woolwich.
Dr. F. R. Waldron reports :
Special
investigation
clinics
Special investigation clinics, at which more thorough examination and guidance is
given to children referred from infant welfare centres and school medical examinations,
were held at the principal centres in Deptford, Eltham, Greenwich and Woolwich.
These clinics have proved well worth while, and have enabled children with minor
behaviour problems, etc. to have more individual attention, with noticeably good
results.
Bathing and
cleansing
2,221 children were treated during the year at cleansing stations, compared with
2,519 in 1954.
Childminders
The number of statutorily and voluntarily registered child-minders at 31st December,
1955, was 77, compared with 83 at 31st December, 1954.
Foot clinics
73,025 chiropody treatments were given at eight centres, and the average number of
weekly sessions was 173.
Specimen percentage attendance figures were—women over 60 years of age, 31 per
cent.; men over 65 years of age, 8 per cent; schoolchildren, 6 per cent.
Health
visitors at
hospital
clinics
Continuing the policy of fostering co-operation with local hospitals, health visitors
attended on a rota system at out-patient, paediatric, asthma and diabetic clinics at three
local hospitals.
Council officers, members of the hospital staffs, general practitioners and other
interested parties worked well together, and the good relationship continued to develop
with mutually beneficial results.
B.C.G.
vaccination
The Council's central team of medical staff successfully concluded at the end of
February the initial scheme for the B.C.G. vaccination of 13-year-old schoolchildren.
There were 3,453 children in the age group and approximately 84 per cent. of
the parents agreed to their children taking part in the scheme.
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