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with attendances for previous years would be misleading as Canonbury Place day
nursery was out of commission to a varying extent throughout the year owing to
extensive structural works, and the number of places actually available fluctuated. The
nursery was still not fully available at the end of the year. Of the 364 'nursery weeks'
in 1956, some quarantine was in force during 157 weeks, i.e., 43.1 per cent. of the time.
There were 63 children on the waiting list for admission to day nurseries at 31st December
of whom 55 were in the third priority group.
Childminders
At the end of the year there were four statutorily registered child-minders in the
division caring for 13 children, and 116 voluntarily registered child-minders caring
for 117 children. Registration under the Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act,
1948, was also granted to the West London Mission, which runs a grant-aided day
nursery in Holborn, in respect of a scheme for day-time care of school children during
the holidays when their parents are at work.
Vaccination
and
immunisation
Primary courses of immunisation against diphtheria were completed for 4,104
children, representing 77.6 per cent. of the live births, and boosting doses were given
to 2,286 school children. Saturday morning sessions for school children had to be
discontinued in September and sessions in schools, with the consent and co-operation
of the heads, have been arranged in their stead. 3,715 children had completed primary
courses of immunisation against whooping cough, and 526 had boosting doses. 3,059
primary vaccinations against smallpox were given. There were two cases of diphtheria
in the division in 1956—both adults (aged 20 and 25 years respectively) and neither
fatal—and one death from whooping cough—a pre-school child whose parents had
refused immunisation. There were 13 cases of poliomyelitis, of which nine were
paralytic. Three of the cases (one paralytic) were adults and the rest children (eight
paralytic). There were no fatalities, and none of the victims had been immunised
against poliomyelitis.
Immunisation against poliomyelitis started in this division in May in common with
the rest of the country, and in the period to the end of July, 862 children in the division
had had a complete course of two injections and 332 had had a first injection only.
About 32,000 invitations and consent cards had been sent out to parents and nearly
9,000 were returned. Inoculations were resumed in December, and by the end of the
year a further 195 second injections and 162 first injections had been given.
School health
service
Two of the grant-aided voluntary committees providing school treatment centres
decided, because of difficulties in replacing members of their committee, to terminate
their work during the year and at their request the Council took over the administration
of their centres. In the case of the North Islington school treatment centre the change
of administration was preceded by a transfer of the centre to premises in Manor Gardens,
Islington, already housing the Council's Holloway (Dental) school treatment centre,
and the opportunity was taken to merge the two centres under the title of Manor
Gardens school treatment centre. Attendances for minor ailments dropped somewhat
because the change of location made it necessary for children in some schools to cross
the busy Holloway Road to secure treatment.
The number of children attending rheumatism supervisory clinics showed a marked
upward trend in the last quarter of the year, but it is too soon to say whether this marks
the end of the steady decline evident since 1953. Attendances at special investigation
clinics (which include the former nutrition clinics) were well maintained. Dental work
increased in volume with the return of a dentist to Finsbury health centre at the end
of April and fairly regular dental inspections of school children have been held.
The Islington bathing centre, which had been closed throughout 1955, was reopened
in April.
The amount of trained nurses' time allocated to the school health service was
equivalent to nearly 22 whole-time staff. 35 of the staff are engaged on combined health
visiting and school nursing work.
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