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Speech Therapy
Mrs. E.R.P. McKeown, senior speech therapist, reports as follows:—
"The establishment was increased in October by two posts so that the equivalent of six full-time therapists
could have been employed by the end of the year. During the year one therapist obtained an appointment in an
assessment unit, and neither replacement nor additional staff were recruited (there are difficulties of recruitment)
so that at the end of the year the six therapists who were employed fill the equivalent of only three and a half
posts.
The number of Speech Therapy students attending clinics had increased and without their help children would
have waited considerably longer than the average four months before being seen. In spite of the useful
contribution of students there is no substitute for fully qualified staff.
Sessions were held regularly at eight school clinics, at the Vale and the Moselle Schools. During the year
resident therapists were established in two schools with long waiting lists and where suitable accommodation
could be provided for treatment.
Unfortunately it proved necessary to discontinue therapy at the William Harvey School because of the
shortage of therapists and the lack of suitable accommodation in the school. Perhaps the provision of a speech
therapy room could be considered in any future plans for extension of the school premises. In spite of these
difficulties it is hoped to resume some service to the school in September 1973.
Numbers attending in 1972
Under five years 621
Over five years 4,027
TOTAL 4,648
The service has become well established and known in the Borough and there is good liaison between therapists
and their colleagues in the medical and educational fields.
During the Autumn Term a special exercise was undertaken and 9,198 children, ages from nursery to school
leaving, at twenty seven schools were screened and 319 children were identified as being in need of further
investigation and placed on waiting lists. The 3%% requiring therapy was broadly in line with the National
A verage.
The problems of staff shortage and organisation of the profession reached such proportions that in 1969 a
Committee was appointed by the Secretaries of State for Education and Science and Social Services, under the
Chairmanship of Professor Randolph Quirk, to consider the need for and the role of Speech Therapy in the fields
of education and medicine. The "Quirk Report" was published in November 1972.
Briefly its recommendations were that the scope of the Speech Therapists responsibility could be better
appreciated and their proper sphere of professional independence recognised — i.e. speech therapists are not
auxiliaries to the medical profession, they have independence in their own right. Certain proposals were made for
reorganising the speech therapy service, and these are currently under consideration."
Child Guidance Service
During 1972 the two Child Guidance Centres under the administration of the Chief Education Officer, at
Lordship Lane, Tottenham and Tetherdown, Hornsey, continued as in previous years. The two consultant
psychiatrists, who are seconded by the Regional Hospital Boards, act as medical directors — Dr. Nina Meyer
carrying out 5 weekly sessions at the Tottenham Clinic and Dr. K. Graf holding two sessions at the Hornsey
Clinic.
In March, 1973, the new Child Guidance Clinic in Wood Green was established, two sessions a week being carried
out by Dr. Stewart Britten at the Stuart Crescent Health Centre, with the prospect of the clinic moving into
White Hart Lane (Old) School when these premises are ready.
I regret to record that Dr. Nina Meyer retired in June 1973. Dr. Meyer has given the child guidance service in
Tottenham a twelve year period of valuable work and her enthusiasm and experience with the younger children
has provided a useful stimulus for many of her junior colleagues. We have been fortunate in obtaining the
services of Dr. Stewart Britten to undertake the sessions at Lordship Lane meantime.
The Education Committee has decided to ask the National Foundation for Educational Research to review the
work of the Child Guidance Services.
Dr. Meyer reports as follows on her year's work at Lordship Lane:—
"This will be my final Annual Report, since by the time this appears, / will have retired from the Health Service;
this terminates twelve years of service at this Clinic.
During this year, 212 children were referred — 20 by their General Practitioners — of these 7 were re-referrals
and 17 were not proceeded with. 136 cases were dosed — 60 improved with help; in 15 cases the parents
reported improvement before the child had been seen, 20 were non-co-operative; 12 were over school leaving
age; 7 moved away; 6 were under the care of the Social Services, and 4 were under the care of the Educational
Psychologists.
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