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Three Nurseries continue to serve the area providing accommodation
for a total of 130 children.
Two of the Nurseries were purpose built during the war at a
time when restricted sites only were available, and the war-time
materials used have now seriously deteriorated. It is hoped to replace
one of these buildings on a new site in the not too distant future.
The third Nursery is housed in a large and old Victorian property
which has been adapted for the purpose. There is ample play space on
this site.
Dr. N. Bhandari, Assistant Medical Officer, in his recent
"Medico—Social study of The New Housing Estate, Harold Hill,"
in regard to care of pre-school children of parents who work states
"about 5 per cent of wives with pre-school children work outside the
home, leaving their children in other's care. Financial need and boredom
are the most usual motives. The pre-school children, including
babies are usually entrusted to a neighbour or acquaintance who may
take one or more such children for gain. The casualness of some such
arrangements was shown when a child becoming ill, the 'minder'
brought it to the clinic. Hospital treatment was needed and when
asked the mother's place of work it was revealed she did not know it,
nor did she even know her name and home address, the child's christian
name being her only knowledge of it. The unsatisfactory n ture of
such arrangements is obvious and a partial solution would be a day
nursery on the estate. However, the high cost of such establishments
might well lead to 'minders' undercutting the rate, and it seems that
even with such facilities, unofficial arrangements would probably
continue to be made."
Nurseries and Child Mothers' Regulation Act
Registrations in force under this Act during the year were as
follows:—
Registered Children permitted
Premises 1 12
Persons 1 8
Midwifery
During 1960, fourteen Midwives were employed, and in addition
the Salvation Army Midwives from the Mothers' Hospital, Clapton,
provided a domiciliary midwifery service in the Rush Greer Area ot
the Borough; 932 patients were delivered in their own homes, approximately
46% of all patients confined.
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