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129
Despite the new rates of National Assistance Allowance which
came into effect on the 16th June, 1952, many patients in the area
have expressed gratitude for assistance granted to them by the
Association, Extra Nourishment Vouchers have relieved anxiety
from strained budgets in homes where tuberculosis has incapacitated
the wage-earner, homes in which there would otherwise be very
little money to provide the patient with such extra nourishment as
the Association has been granting.
The extent of assistance the Care Association can give to
patients depends mainly on the financial resources of the Association.
In September, owing to lack of funds, it was found necessary to
reduce the value of extra nourishment vouchers. Before that time
an average of 48 patients had received vouchers at a cost of £85
monthly. Individual vouchers of 10s., 7s. 6d. and 5s. per week
were reduced in value to 5s. 6d. or 3s., and were granted to an
average of 34 patients at a total cost not to exceed £40 for any one
month.
There was launched an energetic campaign to raise funds by
voluntary effort. This included dances, whist drives, collecting
boxes in business premises, and a record Christmas Seal Sale.
A comparison between the two major items of expenditure and
income during the year will give some indication of the financial
problem which, if assistance at a high level is to be maintained,
will now be a permanent feature of the work of the Association.
d.
s.
£
7
5
1,194
Payment of Extra Nourishment Vouchers
10
17
789
Grants received from the Essex County Counci
9
7
£404
Minimum balance to be raised by voluntary effort
There are two possible solutions to this problem:—
(1) A permanent reduction in assistance to patients in
accordance with income.
(2) A permanent programme of social events to raise funds.
The former course may be inevitable due to the reduced
amount of grants and the difficulty of raising money by local
voluntary activities. Alternatively the raising of a large sum of
money annually would involve the Secretary in activities which
would take up too much of his time and is therefore impossible
under existing arrangements.