View report page

with 32 firms for a team to vaccinate staff on their premises, but elsewhere in the division
only three firms co-operated in this way. By the end of the year 7,150 injections had
been given at the Guildhall clinic, where the peak passed the 500 mark in a 2-hour
session on several occasions, and 3,310 injections on the premises of City firms. These
autumn activities threw considerable strain upon the divisional staff. In addition to the
foregoing, about 32,500 anti-polio injections were given during the year in clinics and
schools, and records were received from general practitioners in respect of nearly 8,000
such injections given by them.
Mothercraft
and
home-making
A special class to train selected mothers in mothercraft and home-making was
started during the year at St. Katharine's Foundation, Butcher Row. A committee
was set up and a leader appointed, and with the co-operation of the health visitors a
small group of mothers was got together. These mothers attended the class weekly and
showed sustained interest. While a slow start has been made, the field workers are
convinced that there are reasonable grounds for optimism about the future of the
scheme.
Health
education
Talks on mothercraft were given in several schools by the health visitor or school
nursing sister and a talk on 'Children's Fears' was given by special request to a Young
Wives' Club. A group of nine students on a training course for work in connection with
Dr. Barnardo's Homes was shown over divisional establishments and was given two
talks on the local health authority's place in the national health service and the work
of the health visitor. This was their first introduction to public health work and they
expressed both their interest and enjoyment.
Cookery demonstrations, by request, especially of meals for toddlers, were given
during the year at 12 infant welfare centres by the London Electricity Board.
Prevention of accidents in the home, particularly burns and scalds, was stressed at
the same time.
Home helps
Two transportable vacuum cleaners are now used by home helps. During the year
the number of households attended per 1,000 of the population was consistently the
second highest among the nine divisions.
Home nursing
The number of home visits per head of population by district nurses remained
highest in this division throughout the year.
DIVISION 6, comprising the boroughs of Deptford, Greenwich and Woolwich
Dr. F. R. Waldron reports:
Smallpox,
diphtheria and
whooping
cough
Special immunisation sessions were conducted at eight centres; in addition the
service was available at a further eight 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 3,580 children under 15 completed courses of immunisation against
diphtheria and 3,403 received 'booster' doses, compared with 3,788 and 2,423 in 1957.
Smallpox vaccination was carried out successfully in 2,927 cases and there were 335
re-vaccinations. The corresponding figures for 1957 were 3,144 and 450. 3,126 children
were inoculated against whooping cough and 312 received reinforcing injections.
B.C.G.
vaccination
The Council's central B.C.G. unit operating south of the Thames concluded in
February their fourth visit to division 6 for the vaccination of 13-year-old schoolchildren.
Of the parents of the 4,365 children in the age group (4,183 in 1957) approximately
79.7 per cent. (77.8 per cent. in 1957) consented to their children taking part in
the scheme.
Divisional arrangements for operating the scheme were made during the summer.
It was decided that the commitment in future would be spread over the school year
and in September the campaign for 1958-59 commenced. By December 31, 1,623
children had been dealt with under the new plan.
133