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The Council provides extra nourishment (milk, butter, eggs), to necessitous patients,
within a prescribed scale of maximum quantities, when recommended by the chest
physician.
The provisions made to occupy the patients' minds and talents during their enforced
leisure are described under 'diversional therapy'.
Diversional
therapy
During the year handicraft classes tor tuberculous patients able to attend the chest
clinic have continued to be held at several clinics. A few classes have had to be closed
because the small attendance did not justify the employment of the instructors provided
by the Council's Education Department. The diversional therapy service for homebound
patients, which started experimentally in 1953 in North West London, has
proved useful and popular and was extended during the year to all parts of London
where the need for such a service was apparent. This service is organised by the local
voluntary tuberculosis care committees, some of which were already running schemes
financed from their own funds. The Council appoints trained handicraft instructors
for this work and gives financial assistance towards the cost of tools and materials.
Instruction is given in a variety of arts and crafts, e.g., basketry, dressmaking, leatherwork,
painting, rug and toy making, weaving, etc. Patients wishing to continue crafts
they were taught while in sanatoria are able to do so through the visits of the handicraft
instructors. Patients are allowed, on payment of the cost of materials used, to retain
articles they make at classes or at home, or, at the discretion of the care committee,
receive the profit from the disposal of the articles on their behalf at sales of work arranged
by the committee. The articles are, of course, disinfected before display for sale.
This is a service which helps patients to overcome their enforced idleness and
provides cheerful and useful meetings with other patients in a club-like atmosphere
while also giving the clinic social worker an opportunity of talking to patients in a more
relaxed atmosphere.
Industrial
rehabilitation
As the patient progresses towards recovery the question of returning to work
becomes a matter of increasing importance. Many patients nowadays are able to return
to their former occupations without danger to themselves or infective risk to others.
In some cases, however, especially where the work was strenuous, an alternative mode
of earning a living has to be envisaged. The Disablement Resettlement Officers of the
Ministry of Labour have a special duty to try to place such patients in employment suited
to their physical condition and capacity. In this they are on the whole very successful.
Where necessary, training is arranged at a Government or other recognised training
centre sometimes after preliminary assessment at a Ministry of Labour industrial
rehabilitation unit. The Council also arranges for the maintenance of London patients
during training at three private village settlements; the British Legion Village near
Maidstone, Enham Alamein Village Centre near Andover and Papworth Village
Settlement near Cambridge. Such patients must be fit to do at least five hours work a
day. Occasionally these patients become 'settlers' at these establishments. Others
after training and improvement in working capacity return to London.
Mention should also be made of the correspondence courses in shorthand, bookkeeping,
general educational subjects, light engineering, etc., arranged by the British
Council for Rehabilitation for patients undergoing prolonged treatment at home.
The cost of these courses is borne by the County Council, who also make a grant
towards administration expenses.
Apart from the Government-owned Remploy Ltd. special factory in Bermondsey,
group working facilities are not yet available in London for tuberculous patients who,
on account of infectivity or severe disablement, need part or whole-time employment
under 'sheltered' conditions.
Recuperative
holidays
Holidays for London tuberculous patients who have recently been ill or in whom
breakdown threatens, are arranged through the Spero Holiday Scheme of the National
Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis or direct by the Council. During the
year, 340 patients had holidays under these arrangements.
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