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Down health centre for ante-natal care and mothercraft instruction. There have been four
meetings during 1961 of the Hackney Group liaison committee.
Chiropody—The shortage of chiropodists limited the number of sessions held during
the year to an average of approximately 71 a week.
The number of sessions held at the Salvation Army Goodwill Centre in New North Road
was increased from two to four weekly.
Occasional crèches—These continued to be held at six centres.
Premises—Facilities at Hoxton school treatment centre, other than the dental service,
were transferred to the Shoreditch health centre in preparation for the conversion of the
building for use as a child guidance clinic.
In June, the Hackney training centre in Ickburgh Road was opened and in December
the Clapton training centre closed, the girls being transferred to the Bethnal Green training
centre.
Prevention of break-up of families—There were five meetings of the divisional co-ordinating
committee and fourteen intermediate case conferences at which 47 families were discussed.
As in 1960 the largest number of requests for discussion of families came from the Housing
department which referred 25 cases, 24 of these on account of rent arrears which might
lead to eviction.
Special investigation clinics—New attendances decreased very slightly as compared with
1960. The number of obese children referred was approximately 17 per cent. of the total.
The ring-a-bell alarm apparatus for cases of enuresis continues in use.
Loan of equipment—The demand for home nursing equipment continues and during
the year under review 138 commodes and wheelchairs were issued on loan, in addition
to various other items such as mattresses, hospital beds, quadruped walking sticks, etc.
A further eight fireguards were also loaned to necessitous households, making a total of
22 fireguards on loan at the end of the year.
DIVISION 5, comprising the boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney and the
City of London
Dr. G. O. Mitchell reports:
Divisional co-ordinating committee—Four meetings of the committee and twenty-four
intermediate case conferences were held during the year; the latter included two meetings
held for a review of families with children under five years of age visited currently by the
N.S.P.C.C.
Nearly eighty cases were considered, the largest group (20) being those referred for
persistent non-payment of rent; four of these were referred by a metropolitan borough and
16 by the Council's Housing department.
Eight new families were referred to the case workers in the division and five of these,
in addition to 11 families referred in 1960, were visited regularly. A further seven new cases
were referred by the committee to the Family Service Unit and their case workers visited
these.
Mental health—The divisional special advisory clinic for mentally-backward children
under five years of age was attended by 38 children, of whom 13 were present for the first
time.
During the year 633 patients were referred to the mental welfare officers for investigation,
of these 343 were admitted to psychiatric hospitals, 63 being over 70 years of age. Arrangements
for a number of informal admissions were made by general practitioners direct
with the hospitals concerned; for patients admitted under certificate there was a satisfactory
liaison between the general practitioner, the consultant and the mental welfare officer.
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