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Grant Aid in respect of Commonwealth Immigrants
In February 1967, Circulars L.H.A.L. 5/67 and 15/67 were received from the
Ministry of Health and the Home Office respectively about the administration of
grants made under Section 11 of the Local Government Act, 1966.
Figures were submitted to the Home Office by the council in support of claims
for grants in respect of staff employed in consequence of immigrants from the
Commonwealth whose language or customs differ from those of the rest of the
community. In this connection the Home Office defined a Commonwealth immigrant
as, normally : a person, adult or child, who has been ordinarily resident in the
United Kingdom for less than 10 years, and the child of such a person. The London
Borough of Enfield was identified (by the criteria of having more than a 2%
proportion of Commonwealth immigrant pupils in the total school population) as
being among the 20 Greater London Boroughs with substantial numbers of
Commonwealth immigrants and so regarded as having a prima facie case for
claiming grant. The council's claim for grant in this regard was allowed.
The main effect of the increasing immigrant population on the work of the
Health Department, in addition to initial visits to newly arrived families described
above, is in respect of visits by public health inspectors to homes in multiple
occupation.
Occupational Therapy
This service, which offers a wide range of handicrafts, is provided by the
hospital authorities for selected patients who are referred by the chest physician
for guidance and training.
Rehabilitation
The Tottenham Rehabilitation and Sheltered Workshop was established in
1948 to make available rehabilitation through training, and subsequent sheltered
employment, to tuberculous patients who were fit for part-time or full-time employment,
though severely disabled by tuberculous chest disease and who were therefore
deemed to be unfit to take their place in open industry without the likelihood of
relapse.
This scheme has been approved by the Ministry of Labour, under the Disabled
Persons (Employment) Act, 1958, for training selected patients to become journeymen
cabinet makers.
During the training period patients are paid training allowances by the Ministry
of Labour, and on completion of training they are appointed to the establishment.
Fourteen places out of a total of 52 were occupied by Enfield residents at the end
of 1967. Four Enfield patients died during the year and one left the workshop on
retirement.
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