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

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Barking 1924

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]

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of the work, becoming impossible, and proving the inadequacy of present arrangements as regards sufficiency of staff and accommodation, as will be easily apparent from the following table:—

Kennedy Hall.Clinic premises.Abbey Hall
Total attendances:—
1 to 12 months1,9132,1252,388
1 to 5 years1,1441,4232,070
Average No. of attendances per session63.070.990.9
No. of new cases151257227
No. of old cases2,90(53,2914,231
Average No. of attendances per mother20.213.819.0

The need of six sessions per week instead of three for infant
welfare work will become apparent from the above figures, a
suggestion, however, only practicable when the present staff of
two health visitors is augmented to three.
The lack of suitable accommodation for welfare meetings at
both the Abbey and Kennedy Hall, and the desirability of improving
upon the premises at present used for that purpose has
already been reported upon to the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee.
Although 400 births in an average or not-entirely industrial
ised district has been adopted as the maximum of births which
can adequately be supervised by one health visitor per annum.
Barking with its 846 births last year cannot be regarded as other
than exceptional in so far as in most entirely industrial and
therefore requiring additional assistance to cope with its present
needs, which are obviously more than two health visitors can
satisfactorily cope with.