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DIVISION 5, comprising the boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney and the
City of London
Dr. G. O. Mitchell reports:
Auditory training—An auditory training centre was inaugurated at the Bethnal Green
school treatment centre in November and 30 children, both under.5's and schoolchildren,
were in attendance at the end of the year.
Chiropody—From September an additional session has been held each week, bringing the
total weekly number of sessions to nine.
Prophylaxis—At the beginning of the year free vaccination against poliomyelitis was
extended to include all persons under 40 years of age, but despite extensive publicity
response was disappointing. The special lunch.time clinic at the Guildhall continued to
function, in addition to sessions held at welfare centres, and further sessions were also held
in business houses in the City.
During the year the Council's revised schedule for the protection of young children
against infectious diseases was put into operation in the division. The figures for primary
diphtheria immunisation are an encouraging reflection of this schedule, which aims to
protect all children by the time they are between 15 and 18 months old against diphtheria,
whooping cough, tetanus, smallpox and poliomyelitis and to reinforce this protection just
prior to school age.
Prevention of break.up of families—The divisional co.ordinating committee and its
intermediate case conference met on 19 occasions during the year and dealt with 73
families. A full.time case worker was appointed to the division in February and two assistant
organisers of children's care work also worked with problem families; 11 families were
referred to these workers. The services of specially trained home helps were supplied to
four families to assist with budgeting, cooking and general household management.
DIVISION 6, comprising the boroughs of Deptford, Greenwich and Woolwich
Dr. F. R. Waldron reports:
Abbey estate, Woolwich—A temporary maternity and child welfare centre was opened on
this new estate in March to meet the initial demand for local health services. Attendances
at the ante.natal, infant welfare and toddlers' sessions have been satisfactory. The
available temporary accommodation is necessarily restricted; additional sessions have been
planned to relieve congestion should the need arise pending permanent clinic provision for
the estate as a whole.
B.C.G. vaccination—Divisional arrangements for operating the scheme for the B.C.G.
vaccination of 13.year.old schoolchildren were continued and by the end of December
3,402 children had been dealt with, together with 265 students at five training colleges in
the division.
Fireguards—Twenty.one applications were met under the scheme for the loan of fireguards
to necessitous elderly or handicapped persons, or householders with children under
12 years of age.
Health education—This was continued as an integral part of the day.to.day activity of
each welfare centre. Group discussion and demonstrations with film strips and other media
were a regular feature of the programmes arranged at the larger centres. Much of the
material used for health education purposes was produced by the health visitors who
continue to show ingenuity and skill in this field.
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