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Dental care and immunisation are also arranged by the Health Department. In the
ordinary way general medical services are provided by general medical practitioners.
Children placed with foster parents are medically examined by assistant
medical officers or general medical practitioners, who also, of course, provide the
general medical service.
Special attention has been drawn to the " Battered Babies " Syndrome, which
is described under that heading in this section.
Nurseries and Child Minders
Under the Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act, 1948, a local health
authority shall make arrangements for the keeping of registers and the supervision
of nurseries and child minders.
During the year there were five applications for registration of premises as day
nurseries and all were approved, making a total of 24 day nurseries providing
places for 623 children at the end of the year.
Applications for registration as child minders were received from six persons
during the year, five of whom were approved, making a total of 15 registered child
minders in the Borough at the end of the year, providing care for 124 children.
The circumstances in respect of all new applications are thoroughly investigated
and reported in detail to the Health Sub-Committee. This work, together with
routine supervision and inspection of existing nurseries and child minders, is
carried out by medical officers and health visitors. The general standards throughout
are at least satisfactory and in most cases very good indeed.
In December, 1966, the Council decided as follows concerning the staffing of
private day nurseries:—
" That the ratio of staff (excluding domestic staff) to children in Day Nurseries,
where children are received for part of the day only, and subject to variation
in special circumstances, be as follows:—
Up to 12 children 1 : 6
13 to 21 children 1 : 7
22 to 40 children 1:8"
Appeals by some child minders and proprietors of nurseries against the
Council's decisions in respect of registration provisions are due to be heard early
in 1967.
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