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District
nursing
Charlton and Blackheath district nursing association, the Nursing Sisters of St.
John the Divine, Ranyard Nurses and Woolwich and Plumstead nursing association
continued to render valuable service, the work of the latter association being particularly
helpful in that part of the division lying north of the river.
Welfare foods
National welfare foods were distributed at 95 sessions every week at 28 establishments
throughout the division. Arrangements were made for sales on the new Abbey
Wood Estate. The Women's Voluntary Services conducted 18 sessions weekly at their
own centres; their assistance was greatly appreciated.

; Chiropody
Shortage of chiropodists and other restrictions on the service limited its scope but
some homebound old people and invalids in need are treated with the assistance of
the Council's ambulance service and special arrangements with the British Red Cross
Society and Woolwich Council of Social Service who help in transport problems.
In addition to the Council's service there are some facilities available through local
voluntary bodies and institutes.
At foot clinics 150 sessions a week were provided and 59,475 treatments were given.
A foot clinic was re-opened at Fairfield House welfare centre to provide better coverage
for Greenwich.
Home help
I service
At the end of the year 321 part-time home helps, equivalent to 155 full-time helps,
were employed. The demand for help continues to increase. Five home helps attended
special courses of training to fit them to assist mothers with household management,
cooking and budgeting. These helps and a number of others trained earlier were
successfully employed in several households.
Useful meetings were held with representatives of all services inter-related with the
home help service.
Problem
families
The co-ordinating committee met regularly to consider policy and subjects of
common concern in addition to measures to help particular families, the allocation of
social case workers and of specially trained home helps.
Of the 55 families discussed, many had been referred after intermediate case
conferences which were held when required at convenient locations in the division.
At these conferences 56 families were discussed and all departments of the Council and
the majority of other statutory and voluntary agencies in the area were involved to a
greater or lesser degree. Health visitors and others are involved in day to day supervision
of the large group of potential problem families, of which relatively few reach the
level of the special conferences.
Two social case workers undertake intensive work with suitable families and they
were fully occupied during the year. The work in this field, especially intensive case
work, is particularly trying and long drawn out and great credit is due to the individual
field workers whose efforts so often meet set backs but who nevertheless battle on.
Fireguards
In the autumn a scheme was introduced to provide fireguards on loan to necessitous
elderly or handicapped" persons, or householders with children under twelve, and a
small number of applications was met.
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