London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Ealing 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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42
LAUNDRY SERVICE FOR THE INCONTINENT
The Laundry Service is still continuing to perform an
essential service for those elderly people in the Borough
who are incontinent and for whom no other satisfactory
arrangements can be made for the cleansing of bed linen
and clothng*
The following table shows the growth of the service since its inauguration in 1952.
| 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of cases dealt with during the year | 46 | 66 | 84 | 78 | 62 |
| No. of cases remaining at end of year | 15 | 23 | 47 | 44 | 47 |
| No. of cases that died | 18 | 30 | 28 | 39 | 26 |
| No, of cases removed to hospital ...... | 11 | 18 | 24 | 39 | 28 |
| No. of cases where other arrangements were made ,. | 2 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 |
| Total number of articles dealt with | 9,958 | 17,587 | 25 097 | 34.259 | 36,755 |
| Total number of collections | 1,144 | 1,784 | 2,500 | 3,347 | 3,036 |
| Average number of articles per collection | 8.7 | 9, 9 | 10.0 | 10. 2 | 11.9 |
Thanks are again due to the Secretary of the Old
Peoples Welfare Committee of the Ealing Council of Social
Service and the panel of helpers who voluntarily continued
the work of repairing worn garments.
It is interesting to note that such laundry services
are not specifically sanctioned in any legislation but
that 28 local authorities do in fact provide them. In
Ealing this is done under the Public Health Act.- 1936
and the Middlesex County Council Act. 1956, but the procedure
varies in different Authorities thus -
The Public Health Act, 1936
or
The Public Health (London) Act, 1936 17 Authorities
The National Health Service Act, 1946 - 9 Authorities
The National Assistance Act. 1948 - 2 Authorities
It would appear, therefore, that legislation is called
for both to clarify the position and encourage local authorities
to provide laundry services for incontinent people,
CARE OF OLD PEOPLE.
The study of the age distribution of our population
over the last 50 years shows the great increase in the
number of old people.