London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The residential unit at the Violet Melchett infant welfare centre, a voluntary organisation providing services on behalf of the Council under Section 22 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, continued to provide treatment for mothers and babies experiencing breast feeding difficulties and for babies with dietetic upsets. Comparative figures are :
| Mothers | Accompanied infants | Unaccompanied infants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 62 | 66 | 72 |
| 1955 | 56 | 59 | 75 |
Clinics
Similar non-residential facilities were continued at the North Islington infant
welfare centre, another voluntary organisation providing services on behalf of the
Council under Section 22. Attendances totalled 1,019 compared with 837 in 1954.
The tables on pages 67 and 68 show attendances at sessions of various types held at
maternity and child welfare centres. An average of 341 sessions a week were being
conducted at the end of the year by sessional medical officers.
Voluntary
organisations
Maternity and child welfare services were provided by 17 voluntary organisations
under agreement with the Council in accordance with Section 22 of the National
Health Service Act, 1946. In addition, child welfare centres were maintained on behalf
of the Council by the medical schools of four teaching hospitals acting as voluntary
organisations and grant-aided by the Council.
Family
planning
Seven family planning sessions were provided by the Council for expectant and
nursing mothers for whom further pregnancy would be detrimental to health. In areas
where such sessions were not held, mothers were referred to the Family Planning
Association, a per capita payment being made by the Council to the association. 797
women were referred to the association during 1955 compared with 877 during 1954.
At the end of the year thirty-three weekly sessions were being conducted by the
association, some in the Council's centres where accommodation was made available free
of charge.
Child welfare
As will be seen from the table below, attendances at child welfare centres in the first
year of life reached 86 per cent. Attendances in the first year averaged about 14, but
thereafter attendances tended to fall off rapidly.
Cards were sent to parents on their children's birthday anniversaries to invite them to toddlers' sessions where they might discuss the care of their children and obtain a full medical examination.
| Year | Clinics at end of year (including toddlers') | Sessions per month | Attendances | Percentage of infants attending a centre at least once in the first year of life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | Over 1 year | Special toddlers | ||||||
| First | Total | First | Total | |||||
| 1949 | 165 | 1,784 | 48,489 | 683,089 | 6,641 | 282,202 | 35,500 | 84 |
| 1950 | 169 | 1,815 | 43,916 | 649,983 | 5,496 | 245,484 | 41,817 | 79 |
| 1951 | 169 | 1,893 | 45,534 | 626,164 | 4,540 | 235,942 | 43,145 | 82 |
| 1952 | 169 | 1,925 | 44,452 | 653,759 | 4,147 | 229,134 | 43,976 | 84 |
| 1953 | 174 | 1,901 | 43,969 | 615,530 | 4,671 | 213,976 | 42,576 | 85 |
| 1954 | 175 | 1,927 | 44,061 | 614,369 | 4,653 | 211,634 | 42,683 | 86 |
| 1955 | 176 | 1,939 | 43,068 | 587,143 | 4,541 | 193,273 | 41,268 | 86 |
Walworth
Road Health
Centre,
South wark—
Solarium
Since the solarium at the Walworth Road Health Centre was transferred to the
Council in 1948 physiotherapy had been provided, as a continuance of the previous
practice of the Southwark Metropolitan Borough Council, not only for children
referred by the Council's school health and maternity and child welfare services but
also for adult patients referred by local practitioners. The Council had no power itself
as a local health authority to provide a physiotherapy service for adults but had done so
as the agents of the hospital authorities.
69