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Occasional crèches—There has been a steady growth in this service and good use has
been made of the sessions provided. Eleven sessions are held in six premises, three of which
are rented. One new creche was opened during the year.
Chiropody—Growth of the service has been limited by the supply of chiropodists.
Although the full establishment of 66 sessions was not attained, there was sufficient recruitment
to enable an experimental re-arrangement of sessions to be introduced at the end of
the year at the Sangley Road foot clinic, Catford on the following lines:
Old New
9.30 a.m.—12.30 p.m. 8 a.m.—11 a.m.
2 p.m.—5 p.m. 11.30 a.m.—2.30 p.m.
5.30 p.m.—8.30 p.m. 3 p.m.—6 p.m.
6.30 p.m.—9.30 p.m.
The object is to enable more sessions to be worked at each clinic. Enquiries from the
public suggest that there are many who welcome the earlier morning and lunch-time
sessions, which fit in with their shopping and other activities.
Health education—A planned programme of health education activities was carried out
at centres and schools, and talks and lectures were given to interested bodies, e.g. parentteacher
associations. A small exhibition was staged at the divisional office to stress the
causes of home accidents and means of prevention. The exhibits were prepared by the
divisional health education team, supplemented by material loaned by the Gas Board and
an insurance company. About 200 people attended.
Prevention of break-up of families—The work of the divisional co-ordinating committee
increased during the year, as did the number of families referred to the intermediate
committee. The families with heavy arrears of rent provided the greatest number of those
referred; these had been notified both from the London County Council and borough
council housing departments. Two full-time and one part-time case workers were allocated
to the division in November; between them they undertook intensive work with 17 families.
Mental health—The services which devolved on the division late in 1960 continued to
be absorbed and much development took place, both in the emergency arrangements for
the mentally ill and in the community care for the subnormal and mentally ill.
A mental welfare officer attends the psychiatric day hospital, St. Olave's hospital,
Bermondsey, to assist in the co-ordination of the hospital and local authority social work
for patients who attend from Camberwell and Lewisham.
Dover Lodge hostel for mentally subnormal girls was closed from May until July owing
to the resignation of the warden. The six resident girls were dispersed to residential work,
other hostels and lodgings. With the appointment of a new warden, a new intake of girls
was admitted gradually. All are in employment. Their leisure is well organised to include
attendance at local evening institute and church activities, where they participate in dressmaking,
'keep-fit', dancing and badminton.
Special features of the training centres for subnormal pupils were the opening of an
experimental holiday play centre at the Lewisham centre, at which permission was also
given for the holding of a weekly evening club for 20 young persons under the aegis of the
Lewisham Society for Mentally Handicapped Children. The friendly interest of local
residents in the pupils manifested itself in a number of gifts of money to be used for outings
and special equipment.
The division co-operated in the Health Committee's experiment to provide, in association
with a day nursery, for the care of severely subnormal infants under five years of age. A
vacant floor was brought into use at Shaftesbury House day nursery, for up to nine infants.
These were specially selected by a medical officer from the County Hall mental health section,
on the recommendation of the divisional medical officer after consultation with the health
visitors and mental welfare social workers. Eight children were admitted for a six months'
experimental period. The early weeks of the scheme showed promise that it was meeting a
real need of the parents and that the children themselves were responding to the care
provided.
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