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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Present state—That speech therapy is filling a useful place is clear from statements by
teachers and parents, but there is still a waiting list and still fields of work only touched.
More needs to be done in the boarding schools, but there are still insufficient therapists.
It is interesting to see that in several day schools enough work exists to make it necessary
to allot sessions to these schools; in the day special schools the demand fluctuates but
remains relatively constant in the infant and junior schools; the senior children, it may be,
are showing the result of work done when they were in the junior school.
The staff at present consists of one head therapist, 22 full-time, eight part-time and
11 sessional therapists.
The number of sessions held each week is as follows:
In school treatment and M. & C. W. centres 175
Ordinary schools 10
Special schools:
E.S.N.—
Day 54
Boarding 12
Physically handicapped—
Day 26
Boarding 6
Partially sighted 6
Blind 1
Children's department establishments 7
Training centres 18
The 1961 survey—The original intention of this survey was to obtain information on
every child who attended a centre between 1 June, 1960 and 31 May, 1961. Eventually,
completed forms in respect of 3,290 children were received and it is estimated that reports
on some 500 children were not completed. Staffing problems, particularly in the boarding
schools, made a complete census impracticable.
The numbers of children in the survey admitted, attending and discharged during the
period are set out in table (i). Boys outnumbered girls by three to one.
Table (i)
| Total | Boys | Girls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admitted before 1.6.60 | 2,140 | 1,519 | 621 | |||
| Admitted after 1.6.60 | 1,142 | 812 | 330 | |||
| Date of admission not recorded | 8 | 6 | 2 | |||
| Total children in survey | 3,290 | 2,337 | 953 | |||
| Dis.harged by 31.5.61 | 586 | 400 | 186 | |||
| Transferred before 31.5.61 | 45 | 29 | 16 | |||
| Left school before 31.5.61 | 35 | 30 | 5 | |||
| Lapsed before 31.5.61 | 148 | 114 | 34 | |||
| Refused treatment | 54 | 35 | 19 | |||
| Died | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| - | 871 | - | 610 | - | 261 | |
| Remaining in attendance | 2,419 | 1,727 | 692 | |||
Table (ii) shows the total number of defects for which these children required treatment.
As 454 children suffered from more than one defect, the total number of defects is greater
than the total number of children. Proportionately within the sexes, the incidence of
stammer in boys is twice that of girls but the incidence of dysarthria and dyslalia is greater
in girls.
Details of children suffering from more than one defect are shown in table (ii) a.
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