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Referrals to these clinics are usually from routine medical inspection at
schools, the general school clinic, family doctors and a small number from other
hospitals.
The figures for attendance during 1966 are given below:-
New cases 241
Re-attendances 553
794
Physiotherapy is provided at the following clinics:
Greenford Green Ravenor Park
Mattock Lane Northcote
Islip Manor
Ear, Nose and Throat Service
Ear, nose and throat sessions are carried out at Ravenor Park and Mattock Lane
on alternate weeks by Mr. R.M. Savage, F.R.C.S., (Edin.) D.L.O. and the figures
for attendance during the year were:-
New cases 136
Re-attendances 335
Medical treatment 210
Operative treatment 67
There is an arrangement by which children requiring operative treatment for
tonsils and adenoids can be admitted to the Royal Hospital, Richmond.
Children whose hearing defect cannot be rectified by treatment are referred
to the Audiology Unit at Heston where the otologist assesses the degree of hearing
loss in regard to the child's ability to receive education. He may recommend
admission to a special school and he may recommend provision of a commercial
hearing aid, for which the Council assumes financial responsibility.
It has been argued that these consultant services are a duplication of those
provided at hospital out-patients departments and there is a danger that in the near
future these services, other than ophthalmic services, may be discontinued. There
are, in my opinion, strong reasons in favour of their retention and these reasons are:-
1. Children should be regarded as a priority class.
2. As such, the services available to them should be easily accessible
and the waiting time both for appointments and during attendance at
the clinic should be reduced to a minimum. The Council's clinics are
able to provide these favourable circumstances.
3. The consultants attending the Ealing clinics are in sympathy with the
concept of a preventive specialist service. This has resulted in an
integration of their work with the screening services provided by the
Council's medical and nursing staff.
It would be much regretted if these services, built up over many years, were
discontinued.
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