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With the continued support of the head teachers, the vaccination of 13-year old
school children with B.C.G. went on throughout the year, and 1,916 children were so
vaccinated at school.
Health
education
There was an increase in the number of health talks, particularly in the schools on
" Parentcraft " and to Old People's Clubs on the " Prevention of Accidents and the
divisional working party on health education met monthly. In addition, help in the
shape of lectures was given to two Old People's Welfare Committees for the purpose
of training voluntary visitors.
Home
nursing
As in previous years, the number of visits per nurse remained generally higher than
in other divisions. Early in the year, in pursuance of the Council's policy of the free
letting of health service premises to district nursing associations for use as diabetic
clinics, it was decided to make available for this purpose accommodation at the Rochelle
welfare centre to the Shoreditch and Bethnal Green district nursing association.
Home help
service
Although some expansion of this service occurred, the difficulty of recruitment in
the Stepney area still continued, and the service in this part of the division still works
under this handicap. An interesting experiment was tried during the year by the organiser
in this area. A vacuum cleaner was obtained on trial from the manufacturers and taker
by the home helps to selected homes in a wheeled shopping carrier. This lightened the
work and enabled more families to be serviced. The purchase of this and a second vacuum
cleaner for this division is under consideration.
DIVISION 6, comprising the boroughs of Deptford, Greenwich and
Woolwich.
Prophylaxis
Dr. F. R. Waldron reports :
Sessions for prophylaxis only were conducted at eight centres ; in addition the service
was available at some infant welfare clinics to ensure that all districts were covered ; an
average of 15 sessions was held each week.' Booster ' sessions were held at schools.
During the year 3,788 children under 15 completed courses of immunisation against
diphtheria and 2,423 received ' booster ' doses, compared with 3,992 and 3,549 in 1956.
Smallpox vaccination was carried out successfully in 3,144 cases and there were 45C
re-vaccinations. The corresponding figures for 1956 were 2,495 and 439. 3,413 children
were inoculated against whooping cough and 339 received reinforcing injections.
B.C.G.
vaccination
The Council s central B.C.G. unit operating south of the Thames, successfully
concluded their third visit to division 6 for the vaccination of 13-year old schoolchildren.
There were 4,183 children in the age group (4,327 in 1956) and the parents of approximately
77.8 per cent. (77.4 per cent. in 1956) consented to their children taking part ir
the scheme.
Poliomyelitis
inoculations
15,992 children born 1947 to 1954 had been registered for inoculation by 15 April,
1956, and were offered inoculation by 31 December, 1957. A further 7,410 children
were registered by the end of the year but inoculation could not be offered to the
majority owing to shortage of vaccine.
Towards the end of the year the scheme was extended and tentative arrangements
were made to deal with the increased number to be inoculated. Altogether, 13,319
completed courses of inoculation and rather more than 2,332 single inoculations were
given during the year.
Maternity
and child
welfare
112 local general practitioners are co-operating in the scheme.
Ante-natal clinics were held at 19 centres with an average of 28 sessions a week.
Relaxation, mothercraft and parentcraft classes were held at varying intervals at nine
centres.
Courses of parentcraft for husbands were held at three centres, one in each Borough.
The meetings were held in the evening during a period which coincided with the
afternoon courses on mothercraft and relaxation for expectant mothers. Husbands and
wives usually attended the first meeting but the men often attended the remainder of
the course alone
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