View report page

All registered blind persons are entitled to certain concessions; these include a special bus
pass entitling the blind person and guide to travel on (red) London buses for one fare only, a
free wireless set which, in this area, is supplied by the Metropolitan Society for Blind, and a
wireless licence exemption certificate, supplied by the Corporation, entitling a blind person to
obtain a free wireless licence from the post office. A blind person may, subject to income, be
entitled to a supplementary blind pension payable through the National Assistance Board. Other
schemes exist for younger people to enable them to undertake social and industrial rehabilitation
and training for further employment, but at the moment there are no registered blind persons in the
City to whom this applies.
Four applications were completed for blind or partially sighted registration and three people
were subsequently examined by the ophthalmologist but none was registered. The purpose of
registration is to allow a person with sight difficulties to have the welfare services available
under the National Assistance Act, 1948 (Section 29), if he so requires.

The primary work of assessing and sorting cases to determine need and which specialist
services need to be brought into use is the responsibility of the Health and Welfare Officer but a
Health Visitor/Social Worker will be appointed to take over most of the follow up work.
Arrangements have been made for elderly and handicapped persons to be taken to the 'Mermaid
theatre where places were made available to them by kind permission of Mr. Bernard Miles
and use is also made of the Social Club at St. Matthew's Hospital.
Holidays for the Physically Handicapped
The finding of places in holiday homes for such persons is undertaken by the Health and
Welfare Officer. In practice such cases as have arisen have been found to be more suitably dealt
with as 'recuperative holidays' on medical recommendation but it is realised that this will not
always be so and use will be made of the provisions of the Scheme for services for the Physically
Handicapped should the need arise.
Sheltered Employment for the 'Handicapped and Elderly'.
There is very little demand for this at present but further follow up visits to the elderly and
handicapped may reveal a need in which case use will be made of the provisions of the various
Handicapped Persons Schemes and arrangements made with other authorities or voluntary bodies.
Eventually it is proposed to provide accommodation suitable for this purpose in a new Health
Centre.
Day Centres and Clubs
The City of London Old Peoples Welfare Association provide club facilities for elderly
residents of the Corporation's Middlesex Street Estate but it is difficult for other elderly City
residents to reach and make use of the facilities which are intended primarily for use of Corporation
tenants and provided under the Housing Acts.
Section 31
Meals-on-Wheels Service
As from July 1965 this service has operated from the Guildhall Office with individual diet
meals served by arrangement with the Staff Association Luncheon Room Committee to whom thanks
are due.
From its inception until the end of the year 312 meals were served.
Bank Holidays and weekends remain a problem in that no meals can be served but in the
former case this is to a certain extent overcome by the provision of cans of soup which the individual
can heat and serve.
The possibility of frozen cooked meals which only need reheating is being looked into.
Where appropriate arrangements have been made for people to receive meals from the Kosher
Meals-on-Wheels Service.
40