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5
Ministry of Health. This was used throughout the country for the
instruction and help of the medical profession and other social
workers. When copies were available therefore it was exhibited
both at the hospital and in the Town Hall on the 2nd September,
1947. The exhibition at the hospital was combined with a clinical
demonstration of cases by the Medical Superintendent and a
short clinical discussion also took place in the Town Hall after
the display.
Despite these urgent preoccupations it is pleasing to record
that it was possible to recommence the scheme for the operative
treatment of tonsil and adenoids for school children and children
under the age of 5 at Clayponds Hospital. This waiting list had
grown to over 200 children and practically the whole of these
have now been dealt with but owing to further demands the
scheme is being continued throughout the year.
The new dental scheme has now been agreed with the County
Council and is in the first instance to double the number of dental
officers employed by the Authority. An Orthodontist is to be
appointed on a part-time basis to cover the whole area and provision
is to be made for special technical work. The new Orthodontic
Clinic is to be built in the Cherington Public Health Centre and it
is envisaged that adequate dental treatment shall be available for
all school children and all those who attend the Maternity and
Child Welfare Centres.
The Child Guidance Clinic continues to grow. It has been
necessary to double the number of sessions held by the Psychiatrist,
and a full-time Psychologist and Play Therapist has been appointed
and also an additional full-time Psychiatric Social Worker. It is
hoped that this will enable the staff to deal with the increased
number of children referred to the Centre.
The accommodation of 437 places at your seven Day Nurseries
has been utilised to its utmost capacity throughout the year and
in fact 527 children have been booked for that number of places.
Even so there is a large number on the waiting list and if it were
possible to double the number of places it appears that at the
moment these would soon be filled. It has been possible during
the year to increase the capacity of the Stanhope Nursery by
some 20 places although much more accommodation is actually
required.
Medical thought starting from the realisation that disease can
be prevented and that sickness is a most damaging factor in our
National life has impressed itself at last upon the economists.
The latter have demonstrated that sickness costs the Nation some
7 per cent, of its total annual income, and that at 'present the