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40
Prevention of Illness ; Care and After-Care.
The Chiropody service continues to endeavour to fulfil the demands
from persons with foot conditions. The surgery at Essex County Health
Services Clinic, Dawlish Road, is now fully manned, and has helped to
alleviate the demands in that part of the area. The waiting list for
appointments at all surgeries still remains at between eleven and thirteen
weeks. The figures of attendances are set out in the statistics.
To assist with the problem of old persons who are non-ambulant and
suffer with foot conditions, the Borough of Leyton Welfare Services
Committee have kindly set aside a sum of money to pay the fees of a
chiropodist to carry out domiciliary chiropody in cases recommended by
the medical and nursing staff and the Domestic Help Organiser. Although
it does not affect a gteat number of persons it is of inestimable value to
those concerned.
Seventy-two adults were sent away for periods of convalescence
varying between one and four weeks. Careful scrutiny has to be made
of such medical recommendations, as some patients endeavour to use
these services as a means of obtaining an annual holiday.'
In the sphere of health education there is a lot to be done. The
County Health Education Organiser has 'dressed' the shop windows at
280, High Road, Leyton, with topics on Care of the Feet, Mobile Mass
X-ray, Health Visiting, Clean Food, and Tuberculosis. Four lectures,
illustrated by film shows, were held during the year, and these were
attended by 210 persons. The health visitors gave 16 informal talks to
groups of mothers at the Health Clinics in the area. These talks were
illustrated by the projection of film strips.
The results of the mass radiography survey, as set out in the statistical
tables, show that active tuberculosis was discovered in 1.18 per
thousand examined. These figures are the lowest ever recorded in the
area. The Medical Director of the unit is of the opinion that the fall in
the rate per thousand for active tuberculosis may be accounted for by
the fact that the unit has visited the area annually and a large proportion
of the examinees are regular attenders. For the same reason he also
records that there was a decrease in the number of bronchial carcinomata
discovered (3), compared with (8) the previous year.
The loan of sick room equipment to people who are ill has risen
from 147, in 1954, to 329 in 1955. With an ageing population there
will be greater demands on the service, and further expansion will be
necessary.
The work at the Occupational Therapy Centre has continued under
the therapist, Mrs S. Wiltshire. Twenty-six students attended, and by
the end of the year 14 had returned to full employment and three had
commenced a period of rehabilitation training. At the time of preparation
of th s report the number of students attending the centre had
steadily decreased and, following consultations with the Chest
Physcians of Leyton, Wilthamstow, and Wanstead and Woodford, it
would appear that, owing to earlier diagnosis, the success of modern
treatment, and the patients' anxiety to restore their earning capacity as
quickly as possible, that the demand exists for sheltered workshops rather
than diversional therapy facilities.
The Leyton, Wanstead and Woodford Tuberculosis Care Association
made continued progress in both assistance to patients and the