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Health education—A committee of staff, representative of all grades involved in health
education, has continued to meet to discuss and co.ordinate arrangements for this work
and to decide the monthly topics for the concerted publicity effort.
Local maternity liaison committees—These have been established by both hospital
management committees of hospitals providing maternity beds in the division. Arrangements
have been made for some of the patients booked to enter the Bearsted Memorial
hospital to receive ante.natal care, mothercraft instruction, relaxation exercises and other
facilities at Woodberry Down health centre and a health visitor attends the hospital weekly
to see the mothers during the lying.in period.
Chiropody—In January a new foot clinic was opened at Elsdale Street welfare centre and
a second chair was later installed there.
Two chiropody sessions were transferred from Shoreditch health centre to the Salvation
Army Goodwill Centre, New North Road, N.l, to facilitate the treatment of old people
living in that area.
Occasional creches—There was an expansion of this service, additional sessions being
held at Shoreditch health centre and at Cranston, Elsdale Street and Richmond Road
welfare centres.
Premises—It was necessary to vacate the accommodation at the Old Town Hall, Milton
Grove, N.l6, which had housed a welfare centre and a home help office for a number of
years. The home help office was transferred to Barton House welfare centre and the
maternity and child welfare services were shared between Barton House and West Hackney
welfare centres.
The West Hackney centre was transferred from the former church hall to the newly
erected church hall, where greatly improved facilities are available.
Prevention of break.up of families—There were six meetings of the divisional coordinating
committee and 17 intermediate case conferences at which 53 families were
discussed. No less than 25 of these families were referred by the Council's Housing Management
department because there was a possibility of their eviction for arrears of rent.
Two five.day courses of training for work with problem families were conducted for
selected home helps from divisions 3, 4 and 5. At the second of these courses two home
helps, who had attended a previous course, were invited for one period to present problems
which they had encountered in their field.work and to indicate how these problems had
been solved.
Special investigation clinics—A marked increase has been noted in the number of
children referred to the special investigation clinics as overweight; at one clinic the number
of obese children has increased by almost 50 per cent.
The 'ring-a-bell' alarm apparatus for cases of persistent enuresis has been in use with
some measure of success. On occasions this form of treatment has been specially requested
by parents or children, who have heard of other cases where alarm apparatus has been
obtained from the clinic or purchased privately.
Loan of equipment—The demand for home nursing equipment continued to increase, and
in the course of the year 124 commodes and wheelchairs were issued on loan, besides tripod
and quadruped walking sticks, bed cradles and hoists, hospital beds, mattresses and rubber
sheets. The fact that ten fireguards were issued on loan seems to indicate that this new
service is fulfilling a need.
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