View report page

Prevention of break-up of families—The co-ordinating committee met regularly to consider
policy and matters of common concern, as well as measures to help particular families
who presented especially difficult problems, the allocation of social workers and of specially
trained home helps. A number of departments of the Council and the majority of other
local statutory and voluntary agencies continued to be associated with the work of intermediate
case conferences.
Staff— I would like to take this opportunity of acknowledging gratefully the support of all
grades of staff during the years since the division was established. There were many testing
occasions including polio and diphtheria outbreaks in the early years and more recently the
small-pox scare of 1962 when, through the untiring efforts of the professional and administrative
staff, 150,000 members of the public were vaccinated in two weeks.
DIVISION 7, comprising the boroughs of Camberwell and Lewisham
Dr. Ann Mower White reports:
During the year the full range of activities has been maintained, with some additions
in anticipation of the re-organisation under the London Government Act, 1963.1 should like
to pay tribute to the way in which the staff of all grades and at all levels have carried on
existing work, often under trying conditions, and have also looked ahead to the need for
planning the new local health services. In this report I have summarised the principal
changes that have occurred in the services provided by the division since its inception in
1948. •
Maternity and child welfare—During the period 14 new welfare centres have been opened,
in rented or adapted premises, to serve new areas or to replace unsatisfactory accommodation
often in church halls and seven new school treatment centres have been started. Of the
ten voluntary committees who ran centres in 1948, six still continue.
Day nurseries—The number of day nurseries has fallen from eight (with 439 places) to
six (with 279 places) and the average daily attendance from over 350 to under 250. More
and more use has been made of them for children with the most urgent priority need, i.e.
families in an adverse environment or with a lone or sick mother. Creches for the occasional
care of young children have been introduced successfully.
At two day nurseries special units have been established, each for nine severely sub-normal
children under the age of five years, where they receive special care and training. The work
is closely associated with the day nursery and is staffed by day nursery staff who work in
close association with health visitors and mental health social workers and, wherever
possible, in touch with the parents.
Associated with the decline in the day nurseries is an increase in child-minding. Preschool
play groups have been developed privately of recent years and receive advice on
standards of child care and hygiene from the Council's officers, voluntarily if they are not
statutorily registered under the Nurseries and Child-Minders' Regulation Act, 1948.
General Practitioners’ Centre—In 1961 the South East London General Practitioners'
Centre was set up in the division for use by local doctors, where they can see their patients
for minor operative treatment and refer them for bacteriological and X-ray examination.
Post graduate discussions and meetings are also held.
151