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HEALTH EDUCATION
Although provision was made in the establishment of the Department for a Health Education
Officer and an Assistant, lack of accommodation to house such a section and administrative
problems have so far prevented implementation of this proposal. Nevertheless, the Department
has met all requests for talks on health matters, but it has not been possible to organise large-scale
health campaigns nor exhibitions. In the early years requests for speakers were met by volunteers
from the personnel of the appropriate section of the Department. In 1967 one of the Health
Visitors expressed an interest and showed aptitude for this type of work and she now undertakes a
considerable proportion of the talks. All Health Visitors give talks to and hold discussion groups
for the mothers at their centres and in some centres meetings are held regularly at fortnightly
intervals. The Health Visitors also give talks in schools to senior pupils.
Posters are displayed in the Borough on topical health matters and leaflets are freely available
for distribution to the public at all centres, etc. The Department owns three slide projectors and
screens and can obtain the use of a 16 mm cine projector as necessary.
RENAL DIALYSIS
Sufferers from certain kidney diseases can benefit from the use of an "artificial kidney"
machine which removes from the patient's blood the impurities normally removed by the kidneys.
The patient's blood is allowed to circulate for some hours through complex equipment where
dialysis occurs and the impurities are removed and the "purified" blood returned to the patient.
The patient is connected to the apparatus by tubes inserted into veins in the arm, so that a continuous
flow of blood occurs from the patient into the kidney machine and back to the patient. The
treatment last some hours and has to be repeated every 3 or 4 days.
Apparatus is now available which permits selected patients who have been trained in a hospital
dialysis unit to treat themselves at home. The expensive apparatus is loaned by the hospital but
the local authority is required to assist the patient in providing a room at his home suitably
adapted to house the equipment.
Among the requirements for the room are waterproofing of the floor, suitable wall finish,
cupboards, heating, provision of hot and cold water supply and drainage etc.
Where a spare room is available in a home, the problems are easily resolved, but where no spare
room exists, this has to be provided by major alterations to the house.
Adaptations so far undertaken have cost from £200 to £750 per case. The patients contribute
towards the cost in accordance with the Council's assessment scales. By the end of 1969 four
adaptations had been completed.
Many difficulties have been encountered in dealing with these cases including technical problems
with the floors, legal problems over reinstatement of tenanted houses should the patient
remove, etc. etc.
Bearing in mind the cost of adaptation and the intermittent use made of the expensive
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