London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Haringey 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Haringey]
This page requires JavaScript
Daily Guardian Scheme
The daily guardian scheme is continuing to provide a satisfactory alternative source of day time
care for pre-school children of working mothers. Details of the service for the year are set out below:-
No. of daily guardians on register 175
No. of daily guardians minding children 82
No. of children being minded 107
Total No. of children minded during the year 225
Total No. of days minded 24,605
Private Day Nurseries and Child Minders
There has been much activity in this field in 1967 with fresh registrations, particularly of play groups.
| Day Nurseries | Child Minders | Play Groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Registered Places | Number | Registered Places | Number | Registered Places | |
| 1st January 1967 | 2 | 82 | 13 | 97 | 12 | 301 |
| New Registrations | 1 | 32 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 180 |
| Discontinued | — | — | 2 | 16 | — | — |
| 31st December 1967 | 3 | 114 | 14 | 96 | 20 | 481 |
Distribution of Welfare Foods
The following table gives details of the distribution of these foods during the year:-
| National Dried Milk (tins) | Orange Juice (bottles) | Cod Liver Oil (bottles) | Vit. A & D Tabs, (packets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18,327 | 63,914 | 6,010 | 4,652 |
DENTAL CARE FOR THE PRIORITY CLASSES
Reference was made in the report of last year to measures being taken to attract larger numbers of
priority class patients, especially pre-school children, and the increase already becoming apparent at
that time.
In the year under review, sessions devoted to this part of the dental service were increased by
28.9% and we have at last attained the proportions as between school and priority services recommended
by the Ministry of Health.
Expectant and nursing mothers are easily able to make their arrangements for treatment from dental
practitioners within the National Health Service and the majority choose to do so, so that the increased
treatment we have been able to provide has largely been for the benefit of the pre-school children.
These latter have been the most difficult to attract, largely because of lack of appreciation by the parents
of the need and importance of treatment at this early age and the difficulty of making the facts known
to them. The present improvement is noteworthy and results from the team-work of several different
categories of Health Department staff, to whom I record my appreciation.
It is to be regretted that the combined efforts both of our service and the general dental practitioners
can only touch the fringe of the problem, and it is to be hoped that the introduction of fluoridation of
the public water supplies will not be long delayed for the benefit of future generations.
Apart from the greater time devoted to the priority classes and the resulting greater amount of
treatment provided, the general pattern of the service has followed exactly that described in detail in
previous reports, so that repetition is unnecessary on this occasion. The statistics for the year are
as follows:-
56