View report page

65
Dental Treatment.
12 extraction sessions were held, at which 53 children were
treated and 136 mothers, making a total of 196 attendances. The
cost was approximately £30.
The extractions are free to those whose incomes are below a set
scale. A fee of Is. per attendance is charged where the income is
slightly higher than this, and a fee of 2s. where the family income is
between this scale and a maximum limit. For those with incomes
above this limit, no treatment is provided at the clinics. Financial
assistance is granted to mothers in obtaining dentures which vary
in cost from £3 to £4 10s. Od., the amount of help being granted
depending on the family income. Dentures were provided to all
cases requiring them irrespective as to when they commenced
treatment. It was however found in a number of cases that
owing to the interval separating extractions and also the interval
between the final extractions and the fitting, dentures would be
be provided to mothers who had finished nursing their infants. To
avoid this, dentures are now provided, as a rule, only to those
women who commenced dental treatment before the baby was
born. The financial assistance granted by the Council during the
year towards the obtaining of dentures was £185.
Convalescent Home.
A mother and her child were sent to a convalescent home for
a period of two weeks at a cost of £3 8s. 0d; another child for a
period of 10 weeks at a cost of £10 10s. 0d.
Ante-natal Clinic.
During the year two weekly ante-natal sessions were held at
the Becontree Clinic, two at the Dagenham Clinic and one at the
Five Elms Out-Patient Department. In addition, a fortnightly
session was held in the Chadwell Heath ward. This session was
held on Saturday mornings; as the reason for the low attendances
was assumed to be the inconvenient time the session was held, it
was transferred to Thursday afternoon, with little improvement
in the average attendance.
At the Five Elms Out-Patients Department the Consultant
gynaecologist paid fortnightly visits throughout the year, seeing
a total of 118 women who made 162 attendances.
Most cases requiring institutional treatment were admitted to
olchurch Hospital though a few went to Queen Mary's Hospital,
,,stardford. In addition, a number were referred to one of the London
Hospitals under the care of the Consultant Gynaecologist. For
The 43 women who were admitted under the Council's scheme, the
local Authority paid £320.