View report page

48
necessary a course of desensitisation injections is given. Some
cases are referred to a Medical Specialist for an opinion as to whether
they are suitable cases for administration of an autogenous vaccine.
Allied conditions such as mouth breathing, bronchitis,
frequent colds and malformations of the chest are also treated at
this clinic.
New Cases Seen.
1952—179 1953—210
CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC.
1. History of Clinic.
Child guidance work began in a small way in 1944 with a
psychiatrist visiting one session a week and one or two part-time
workers using any room which could be found available in an
already overcrowded Maternity and Child Welfare Centre.
In 1946 a six roomed house at 70 Uxbridge Road was made
available and there was an increase of staff but in the ensuing years
these premises proved inadequate to house an ever growing service.
In September 1953 the clinic was transferred to new premises at
42 Madeley Road.
Since 1945 there have been various increases of staff. The
present staff is :—
One Psychiatrist—6 sessions per week.
One Senior Educational Psychologist (full-time).
Two Educational Psychologists (part-time).
One Psycho-therapist (full-time).
Three Psychiatric Social Workers (full-time).
Three clerical workers (full-time).
There have been a certain number of changes of staff and each
change means a long delay and a dislocation of the work more than
proportional to the actual loss of man-hours.
The special relationship between the Educational Psychologists
and the rest of the clinic is such that they can from time to
time limit the number of referrals when the waiting list is getting
beyond manageable proportions.
In 1951 the Psychiatrist was transferred to the North West
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, who agreed to provide 4
sessions a week permanently and 2 sessions a week temporarily to
help wipe out the waiting list which had at that time become
particularly long.
The waiting list for diagnosis is now somewhat reduced but
there is now a waiting list for treatment which is likely to increase
until such time as the Regional Hospital Board agrees to provide
psychiatric service eleven sessions a week.