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51
Wickham Junior and Welling County Secondary Schools
who had some difficulty of access to Little Danson Clinic
including the crossing of a busy main road.
Another result of the general economy campaign of
the Kent Education Committee has been a review, during
the year, of the extent to which vitamins and various
medicaments should be supplied to school children by
medical officers at minor ailment clinics. The view-point
has been taken that, as the medical functions of the
school health service are mainly inspectorial and advisory,
children requiring drugs and other medicaments should
be referred to their own doctors for treatment under the
National Health Services Acts. Care must be taken that
this tendency, which is justifiable up to a point and in
accord with the general trend that the general practitioner
should be brought more and more into collaboration
with the School Health Service, or vice versa, should not
deprive the assistant medical officers working in the
clinics of certain basic treatments for common disorders.
On the whole a "modus viveudi" has been reached and it
is hoped that a state of equilibrium will result in the
light of further experience. The most important factor
is, of course, that the school child shall not be deprived
of essential treatment and it is possible to give an assurance
that this is the case in practice.
There were no serious epidemics during the year and
the health of the school children has, on the whole, been
satisfactory. Only two cases of poliomyelitis occurred
during the year as against 19 during 1950.
The special needs of the many categories of handicapped
children continues to be a major preoccupation of
the staff and reference to the statistical reports will give
some indication of the extent and scope of this work.
Once again, I have to record the excellent team work
of all members of the staff on which the success of the
School Health Service so largely depends and, finally, I
wish to express my appreciation of the help and encouragement
which I have received during the year from
the Chairman and Members of the Committee, from the
County Medical Officer and his staff and from Miss Smith,
the Senior Clerk, and all members of the staff, whose help
and co-operation during the year have been a very
valuable asset.
I am, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tour obedient servant,
John Landon.
Medical Officer of Health.