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DIVISION 9, comprising the boroughs of Wandsworth and Battersea.
Dr. J. T. R. Lewis reports :
Premises
From June the new clubroom at the Wandsworth Borough Council's Putney Vale
estate was used for one child welfare session weekly.
Housing development justified the opening in November of a child welfare centre
in the new clubroom at Poynders Gardens Estate, Clapham. Two infant welfare
sessions are held weekly and a toddlers' session monthly.
At the request of the voluntary committee the Council assumed full responsibility
from 1 August for the Putney Children's health centre which provides a comprehensive
range of maternity, child welfare and school treatment services. In the past the Council
has allocated certain staff thereto and has paid an annual grant towards other running
costs. Thus terminated a half century of voluntary endeavour by Miss Eileen Lecky,
M.B.E., and her associates in a fruitful partnership with the County Council and, in
former years, with the Wandsworth Borough Council.
Maternity
and child
welfare
The services available at the Victoria Drive centre, were developed and now
comprise infant welfare (including a special session for backward children), ante-natal,
toddlers', mothercraft sessions and the following provision for schoolchildren: minor
ailments treatment, special investigation clinic, ear, nose and throat clinic, physiotherapy
sessions and speech therapy.
Another study group for medical and nursing staff began under the guidance of a
psychiatrist. A smaller group elsewhere was revived with fresh members but under the
leadership of the same psychiatrist.
In October there was introduced at St. Peter's welfare centre, Clapham, a second
mothercraft class designed to meet the needs of mothers of problem families and other
mothers requiring special guidance and help. Associated with this class has been an
occasional creche transferred from Fairfield welfare centre, which has proved both more
successful and more useful in the new venue.
Prophylaxis
The results of an investigation by the Medical Research Council in collaboration
with senior officers of the division and in other areas into the efficacy of a combined
prophylactic against diphtheria and whooping cough have now been published.
Approximately half of some 5,000 children were given plain whooping cough vaccine
and the remainder the mixed vaccine, of which the whooping cough component was
from the same batch as the plain vaccine. Children given the plain vaccine were later
immunised against diphtheria with two doses of ordinary diphtheria prophylactic.
The survey showed that the protective action induced by the whooping cough vaccine
mixed with the diphtheria prophylactic (formol toxoid) were similar to that induced
by the same whooping cough vaccine alone.
From September, in place of antigens giving protection separately against diphtheria
and whooping cough, the standard in the division's welfare centres became either
combined antigens (diphtheria and whooping cough) or triple antigens (diphtheria,
whooping cough and tetanus).
The poliomyelitis vaccination programme concentrated on protecting schoolchildren
before the summer holidays.
The annual B.C.G. campaign for the protection of 13-year-old children against
tuberculosis was carried out for the first time by teams of divisional staff.
Home help
service
The continued extension of this service necessitated the separation of the division
into three sub-areas instead of two.
Prevention of
break-up
of families
The equivalent of one and a half social caseworkers were employed on intensive
work amongst problem families. After 12 months working, the wholetime officer
had a case load of 16 families. The service has worked very smoothly, a notable feature
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