London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Children with impaired hearing—During 1961 a sixth peripatetic teacher of the deaf was
appointed for work in audiology and auditory training centres, thus passing the half-way
mark towards the approved establishment of ten.
Routine audiometer testing—The numbers of children given 'rapid-sweep' audiometer
tests during 1961 are as follows:
Pupils given screening tests 50,332
Pupils failing screening tests given pure tone tests 3,749
Pupils failing pure tone tests referred to otologists 1,513
Speech therapy—By the end of the year 288 sessions a week were being held, 188 in
59 clinics and 100 in special schools. During the year 1,207 pupils were ascertained as
requiring speech therapy, whilst 566 were discharged from treatment and 289 ceased to
attend. The number of pupils under treatment at the end of the year was 3,536, whilst 179
were on the waiting list.
A special article (Appendix C) reviews the history, growth and development of services
for children suffering from speech defects over the past 50 years.
Maladjusted pupils—At one of the Council's day schools for maladjusted children an
experimental psycho-drama therapy group is being conducted. Although the experiment
is in its infancy, the results so far are sufficiently encouraging for the continuance of the
group, since some of the participants are already showing signs of a greater sense of reality
and of using their intelligence more constructively.
Child guidance units—Details of the work done during 1961 at the child guidance units
maintained by the Council follow:

Child guidance units—Details of the work done during 1961 at the child guidance units maintained by the Council follow:

Patients
At 1 January, 1961At 31 December, 1961
On waiting list:On waiting list:
(a) awaiting first interview218(a) awaiting first interview165
(b) interviewed and awaiting treatment69(b) interviewed and awaiting treatment78
In attendance:In attendance:
(a) active410(a) active392
(b) under review*425(b) under review*429
During 1961During 1961
Applications received862Applications withdrawn280
Cases closed640
1,9841,984

* Some cases are kept 'under review' for a time after active treatment has ceased; others are closed as soon
as active treatment has ceased, any further visits, etc., being regarded as 'follow up'. During the year 165
closed cases were followed up.
Student health scheme
The experimental student health service, which was started at Barrett Street technical
college at the beginning of the 1960/61 session (see page 112 of my report for 1960), was
reviewed in July, 1961. There was no doubt that the students and staff valued the service
and advice given by the doctor and that local contacts made (e.g. with hospitals, mass
X-ray unit) were beneficial. In view of this satisfactory report, it was decided to extend the
scheme to the City of Westminster and Brixton day colleges, although at the latter college
the scheme was not fully implemented until the beginning of 1962.
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