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Co-ordination with Other Health Services.
Close co-operation exists between the Public Health Department
and the School Medical Service, as all the officers of the
latter service are also engaged for a part of their time in Public
Health work. Endeavours have been continued to obtain a closer
continuity between the Maternity and Child Welfare work and
the School Medical Service, but there appear to be inherent
difficulties under the present system. If the facilities offered by
the School Medical Service, in the way of routine medical and
dental examinations, could be extended to the pre-school. child
much closer working, with consequent decrease in the number
of defects found in the Entrant group of school children, would
accrue. At present there does not seem, however, much chance
of such an extension. The gap which exists between the actual
—as opposed to the theoretical—supervision of the Maternity and
Child Welfare Service and the commencement of the School
Medical supervision, is a most unfortunate one, leading, as the
figures in my report show clearly, to an unduly high incidence of
defects found in the five year old group.
The continued co-operation of the Head Teachers and of the
School Attendance Officers has been a valuable help without
which much of the medical work and following up would have
been difficult of proper fulfilment. As can be seen by the figures
in Table I. parents have attended at the routine medical inspections
whenever home duties allowed, and their presence at the
examination is helpful because the doctor can explain personally
any instructions he desires carried out. The Voluntary School
Care Committees, and the Croydon Council of Social Service
have also co-operated in the work. The Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children have, through Mr. Brown, their
inspector, rendered assistance with a few difficult cases. 21 cases
have been dealt with and of these 15 have been brought to a
satisfactory conclusion, whilst 6 still remain under supervision.
The inspector paid 47 visits during the year.