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these 90 per cent. also received the second inoculation. Altogether fifty-three special
sessions were held at infant-welfare and school treatment centres in May and June and
another five sessions in December.
Mental health
education
Dr. Felix Brown, the consultant psychiatrist, who is the director of the Earls Court
child guidance unit, assisted by one of the Council's psychiatric social workers,
commenced the training during the year at one of the welfare centres of a medical
officer and health visitors who have a special interest in and aptitude for dealing with
problems of mental health in children under five years of age. Later a medical officer
and the health visitors from another welfare centre joined the training scheme and for
convenience meetings were then held at the child guidance unit.
The problems of mental health arising in the course of maternity and child-welfare
work are discussed on an individual case basis and guidance is given on their management.
The training has proved of great benefit alike to medical officers and health visitors.
Behaviour
problems
A special clinic was held monthly at St. Quintin welfare centre. The number of
children seen has been necessarily small, but the work has proved very valuable and
the results are encouraging.
Neglect and
ill-treatment
of children
The close partnership which has grown up over the years between the health visitors
and all other field workers concerned with the prevention of ill-treatment and neglect
of children and of juvenile delinquency has been strengthened by the introduction of
regular monthly meetings of a divisional standing committee which are attended by
all field workers concerned with the cases discussed.
Home advice
groups
The Home Advice guroup formed 111 Kensington last year continued to meet one
evening a week at a welfare centre and good progress has been made. A similar group
for mothers living in Hammersmith was started during the year and facilities have been
given for them to hold their weekly meetings at a welfare centre.
Vision
sessions
During the year the Regional Hospital Boards agreed to an increase in the number
of vision sessions in the division, so that at the end of the year three were being held
each fortnight and approval had been given for an additional session to start in January,
1957.
Special
investigation
clinics
It was decided to hold two special investigations each month, one in the south and
one in the north of the division, for children showing mild behaviour-problems and
for those children needing a more thorough medical examination than is possible at a
routine inspection. The southern clinic started in December and the northern clinic was
arranged to start in January, 1957.
Tuberculosis
B.C.G.
vaccination
The scheme first introduced in 1954 for inoculating with B.C.G. children in secondary
schools in the year preceding their fourteenth birthday was again repeated. Consents
were received for about 71 per cent. of the children and of these approximately 85 per
cent. gave a negative reaction to the Mantoux test and were given B.C.G. vaccine.
Arrangements were made for children who were found to give a positive reaction to
be followed-up by X-ray examination.
Domiciliary
care of the
tuberculous
The earlier admission of patients to sanatoria and recent advances in treatment have
again resulted in fewer patients being cared for at home and requests for extra nourishment
have further declined.
The twenty-eight beds at Hurlingham Lodge hostel remained fully occupied.
There has been a slight increase in the number of men taking up outside employment.
An old greenhouse in the hostel grounds was adapted as a workshop where residents
can undertake handicrafts or other work in which they are interested. So far activities
have been restricted to rug-making and basket work.
Home help
service
As in previous years tne demand for home helps increased. The difficulity in recruiting
home helps in Chelsea improved to some extent and help was provided wherever it
was most needed.
The demand continued for the provision of morning and evening home help in
homes from which the mother was temporarily absent, the home helps carrying out
all the duties which would normally be undertaken for the children by their mothers.
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