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13
In addition to the home nurse/midwives there are eight home nurses
working in the district.
Day Nursery.
A Day Nursery is established within the district at Diban Avenue,
Elm Park. It provides accommodation for 50 children up to five years
of age.
Domestic Help Service.
A domestic help service is in operation and is administered for
the Essex County Health Services by the Area Medical Officer, 34,
Cresthill Avenue, Grays.
Domestic Helps can be supplied for a period of two weeks in the
case of a home confinement, but as there is a great demand for this service,
it is essential to apply as early as possible. Where there is illness
approval may be given, upon receipt of a medical certificate, for a Help to
attend.
Domestic Helps are paid by the County Council, but the person
assisted is required to contribute towards the cost according to his, or
her, means. An assessment form must therefore be completed if it is
desired to claim reduction in the charge, otherwise the full standard
charge, which is at present 3s. 6d. an hour, will be payable.
Whilst this service is undoubtedly one of the highest importance
instances do crop up which do not fall within its present scope. These
relate, for example, to persons very often aged or living alone and in
sanitary circumstances which, if not of the lowest order, are nevertheless
sufficiently substandard as to ensure that any domestic help attending
will speedily decide that other methods of dealing with the case should
be sought. This is a point of view which one can of course understand,
nevertheless this type of case demonstrates a gap in our social services.
Care of the Aged.
Once more I was fortunate in avoiding formal action under Section
47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948. A number of quite difficult
cases were however brought to my notice and on more than one occasion
it seemed very unlikely that any way out of the impasse would be
found save that of formal action. In three instances at least only at
the last moment did circumstances provide a solution to the problem.
In two instances this was through hospitalisation and in one instance
help from a variety of agencies enabled a satisfactory position to be
secured.
Although year by year a number of quite difficult cases arise the
impression remains that were it not for a number of individuals and
associations giving of their time to care for the aged, the problems with