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139
SECTION 28
PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE AND AFTER-CARE.
Foot Clinic.
Leyton Corporation was among the first local authorities in the
country to provide a municipal foot clinic, where residents afflicted
with defects of the feet could obtain skilled treatment from qualified
chiropodists. It was in 1936 that the Leyton Foot Clinic was
established at High Road Baths, with your present Senior Chiropodist
(Mr. J. C. O'Brien, M.Ch.S) as the chiropodist in charge—and the
only one. That the facilities provided made an early appeal may
be judged from the fact that before the clinic had been open for a
month the number of applicants for treatment was so great that
even in these early days appointments were being made for as long
as five weeks ahead. Although since that time the staff of permanent
full-time chiropodists has been increased from one to four, and
although it has been necessary to engage temporary part-time
assistance to overtake accumulated arrears of work, never has it
been possible to reduce the waiting time for appointments to less
than five weeks. In fact five weeks has come to be regarded as the
minimum waiting period, below which it is not possible to go, at
least in Leyton, and eight weeks as the average or normal waiting
time between appointments.
Prior to 1948 the treatment facilities were confined to Leyton
residents, and the production of national identity cards was a
condition of eligibility for treatment; but, with the incorporation of
the foot clinic facilities under Part III of the National Health
Service Act, the service became national instead of local. The
extent to which extra-district residents take advantage of the
chiropodial facilities may be gathered from the fact that, of 1,325
new patients who attended during the year, 142 (10.7 per cent.)
were resident outside the Borough.
Towards the end of 1951 the Health Authority approved my
suggestion that, in order to overtake accumulating arrears of work,
a temporary foot clinic should be established in a dental workshop
in Dawlish Road Clinic which was not being used ; and a foot clinic
was established there in January, 1952. Since that time a chiropodist
from the main foot clinic at High Road Baths has provided
two additional weekly sessions at Dawlish Road Clinic. That the
new clinic is supplying a long-felt want in a densely populated area
may be gathered from the fact that already the waiting-time for