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40
D isinfestation
At the Borough Disinfecting Station, the home help who operates
the washing service also continued to carry out the duties
of disinfestation of women and children. 23 persons were cleansed
of verminous conditions and 4 were treated for scabies.
AMBULANCE SERVICE
To the Medical Officer of Health
I submit the Fifteenth Annual Report of the Croydon Ambulance
Service, for the year ended 31st December, 1956.
During the year the Service was called upon to deal with
104,563 (100,827) patients, which necessitated 51,102 (50,491)
journeys and a mileage of 413,812 (440,311).
All calls for ambulance transport are received at Headquarters
Station, where they are collated. At the commencement of daily
shifts the crews of vehicles are each given initial journeys,
and thereafter the bulk of the vehicles are directed by radiotelephone
to suit the ever varying circumstances, e.g. accident
and emergency cases, extra bookings, etc.
It will be seen from the figures quoted above that even thougth
both the number of patients carried and journeys travelled have
increased, the mileage covered was considerably less (6.02%) than
in the previous year, and this saving is substantially due to use
of the radio-telephone, with which all vehicles are equipped.
Once again this year a two-man team was entered in the Regional
First Aid Competition held at Surrey county Council Ambulance
Training Station, Morden, and I am very pleased to be able to
report that the team from this Service was placed joint third
with Brighton County Borough Ambulance Service.
List of Serviceable Vehicles at 31st December, 1956.
Four number Pullman Ambulances
Eight Daimler Ambulances
Two Bedford Sitting case Vehicles
One Vauxhall "Wyvern" Saloon car
5 Bedford Utilicons
One Austin breakdown vehicle
2 Bedford Coaches (for Mental Defectives)
For details of journeys, patients, mileage, etc., see the
Appendix, page 115.