London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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HOME HELP
Statistics of the service provided during the last five years are shown in the following table.
| 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases assisted* | 34,557 | 35,737 | 34,600 | 36,056 | 38,031 |
| Applications deferred or refused because home helps were not available | 76 | 25 | 25 | 13 | 23 |
| Hours worked | 4,779,600 | 4,896,000 | 4,651,500 | 4,919,200 | 5,129,000 |
| Home helps employed at end of year | 3,326 | 3,388 | 3,529 | 3,706 | 3,830 |
| Equivalent of whole-time staff† | 2,089 | 2,116 | 2,033 | 2,150 | 2,242 |
| Night helps for chronic sick patients‡ | |||||
| Applications met | 37 | 44 | 55 | 40 | 28 |
| No. of new families assisted‡ | |||||
| Child help (resident) | 5 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 8 |
| Early morning and evening help | 180 | 153 | 197 | 200 | 244 |
| Special help (problem families) | 110 | 116 |
* 1955-1957, number of times assistance given; from 1958, number of households assisted.
† From 1958 excludes staff on annual and sick leave.
‡ These are included in total cases assisted.
From September, subject to the submission of a medical certificate, free home help was
provided for expectant mothers suffering from toxaemia of pregnancy to ensure complete
rest for the patient.
During the first four months of the scheme, 1 September to 31 December, 53 cases of
toxaemia of pregnancy received free home help. The total amount of service given was
2,841 hours.
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