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SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
To: The Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of Haringey
I have the honour to present the second Annual Report on the School Health Service for the year
1966.
The general physical condition of the children is excellent and the work of the School Health Service
is especially directed towards seeking out those deviations from normality which prevent a child from
obtaining the best value from his school life. Defects of vision and hearing and limitations of mental
endowment or emotional trauma are of prime importance, and in our assessment of these defects, doctors
in the School Health Service are becoming increasingly dependent on the help of the teaching staff, and
so there should be an ever-increasing improvement in the liaison between teacher and doctor so that
progress can be made towards selective medical examination. The selective medical examination is now
being carried out in a number of schools on primary school leavers so that the combined knowledge of
head teacher and school doctor is collated and carried forward for use when the child enters a comprehensive
school.
The small number of children who have a permanent disability would benefit by continued supervision
when they have left school to ensure that they are established in life, and for this purpose the appointment
of a social worker has been recommended in a report on the co-ordination of Education, Health and
Welfare.
During the past year the amalgamation and consolidation of the previous year was continued and the
progress made and the statistics recorded of the year's work are described in the body of the report.
I am grateful for the support of the members of the Committee and for the enthusiasm and interest
of the staff, and especially to Dr. Mary C. Douglas, for the part they have played in the development of
these services.
J.L. PATTON,
Principal School Medical Officer
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