View report page

3
Report of the School Medical
Officer.
In accordance with the suggestions contained in Form 6M.
Schedule issued by the Board of Education, much of the subject
matter of this Report having been included in previous reports
it is not repeated but reference is made to items which have
in previous years received full consideration.
Co-ordination.
As your Medical Officer of Health is also School Medical
Officer it is ensured that there is no overlapping between the
two departments. All information as to the incidence of
infectious diseases is immediately available for the use of the
Assistant School Medical Officer and the school nurses and
vice versa, unnotifiable infectious diseases discovered through
absences from school are transmitted to the Health Department
and followed up, thereby in many cases enabling such outbreaks
to be controlled.
Attention has been drawn to the advantages of combining
the duties of Health Visitors and School Nurses in previous
reports. It is to be hoped that at some future date it will be
possible to secure this arrangement, which will undoubtedly
make for economy and an all round increase in the efficiency
of the service.
THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE IN RELATION
TO PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
School Hygiene.
There are 8 provided sdhools with 18 departments and 2
non-provided schools with one department each under the
authority of the Erith Education Committee.
The schools are visited by a Medical Officer at least twice
in the year and any defects found are brought to the attention
of the Committee.
Since the publication of my last report one of our nonprovided
schools—All Saints, has been partly closed owing to
structural defects which rendered parts of the building dangerous.
In November, 1935, it was handed over to the Local
Education Authority and will be a provided school pending the
opening of the new Bedonwell School in September, 1936.