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15 CHEST CLINIC
The responsibility for the work of the Chest Clinic in the
borough is divided between the Council and the Regional
Hospital Board. The Board is responsible for the provision
of treatment, while the Council is responsible for the
visiting and welfare services under Section 28 of the
National Health Service Act.
Because of the Hospital Committee's Catchment Areas,
patients residing in Ealing and Acton are referred to the
Ealing Chest Clinic, Green Man Passage, W13, whilst
those living in Southall are referred to the chest clinic
at Hillingdon Hospital for investigation and treatment.
In the long term it is the Council's policy to integrate
the tuberculosis visiting service with the health visiting
service. Indeed, tuberculosis visitors as such are no
longer being trained and eventually this designation will
disappear. At present, however, only one of the Council's
five tuberculosis visitors is a qualified health visitor and
therefore able to carry out combined duties.
Details of the work during 1971 are as follows:-
Number of new tuberculosis cases 164
Number of old tuberculosis cases 3,415
Transfers into borough 8
Numbers of contacts of new cases 1,092
Successful visits to tuberculosis households 3,948
Unsuccessful visits to tuberculosis households 738
Successful visits to other patients 540
Medical Social Worker
The statistics of the cases seen by the Medical Social
Worker relate only to cases under the care of Ealing Chest
Clinic. Those attending Hillingdon Hospital are seen by
the Medical Social Worker there.
Details of Cases
Cases first referred during the year 107
Total cases 237
Tuberculosis patients 113
Cancer patients 54
Bronchitis and others 70
Action Taken
Referred for employment 5
Found employment 3
Referred to Social Security for maintenance 19
Referred to Social Security for bedding 1
Referred to Social Security for clothing —
Referred to Social Security for extra
nourishment 5
Referred for Housing 32
Rehoused 5
During the year the Mass Radiography Unit of the North
West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board visited various
sites within the area and examined 23,000 workers. 32
cases of active pulmonary tuberculosis were discovered
and 73 cases of lung cancer.