London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Willesden 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]

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133
Numbers.—Having regard to the fact that the percentage of maternity and child welfare cases
attending, taking Willesden as a whole, is 51 and in the best attended areas, namely, Pound Lane—
Dudden Hill 61 per cent., Gladstone Park—St. Andrews—Willesden Green R.C. 64 per cent., Christchurch
65 per cent. and Braintcroft 65 per cent. it is likely that soon after the Clinics are established
66 per cent. of maternity and child welfare cases will attend and such percentage will gradually increase.
Frequency of attendances.—The frequency of attendances varies with the distance from the
Health Centre. The relative figures of frequency of attendances at existing Health Centres are:—
Health Centre 1 18
Health Centre 2 20.5
Health Centre 3 20.3
Health Centre 4 17.5
Health Centre 5 15.9
This relative frequency figure is obtained by dividing the total maternity and child welfare
attendances made during 1937 by the number of maternity and child welfare cases attending at the
Health Centre at the end of the year.
(Note.—These observations (2) and (3) would apply only to those Health Centres which would
deal with people from transferred areas, namely, Health Centre 1, Health Centre 4 and Health Centre 5.)
(4) The areas to attend Health Centre 2 and Health Centre 3 are areas at present attending
these Centres and show respectively a total of 58 per cent. and 48 per cent. in respect of
maternity and child welfare attendances. It is nevertheless likely that these percentages
will increase to 66 per cent, as many people at the present time refrain from attending on
account of the long waits at these Centres and because the Health Visitors are unable to
visit them.
1. The Health Centre.
2. The school population.
3. The number of maternity and child welfare cases.
4. Total of (2) and (3).
5. The estimated number of school attendances.
6. The estimated number of maternity and child welfare attendances.
7. Total of (5) and (6).
8 The number of doctors required.

Table: Having regard to all these factors the following table shows for each proposed Health Centre:—

Having regard to all these factors the following table shows for each proposed Health Centre:—

M.C.W. casesTotal School
Totalunder visiand M.C.W.Estimated approx.HealthNo. of
HealthNo. ontation bycases to beCentre attendances.doctors
Centre.schoolHealthlooked after.required.
roll.Visitors at(Cols. 2 & 3.)School.M.C.W.Total.
end of 1937.
(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)
14,1042,6886,79213,12236,65649,7782
24,6133,1377,75019,16942,58661,7552 with
provision
for 3.
36,8464,09810,94428,06855,86883,9363 with
provision
for 4.
42,8912,1485,03913,39428,94142,3352
53,1542,1375,29114,61228,74643,3582
Totals21,60814,20835,81688,365192,797281,162

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It should be observed that the total estimated approximate Health Centre attendances of
281,162 compares with a total of 216,946 for 1937 or an increase of nearly 30 per cent. This increase has
been arrived at by having regard mainly to the better disposition of Health Centres and does not
take into account what might be termed the normal growth of clinic work. In the 7 years 1931-1937
clinic attendances have increased by more than 25 per cent. It has further to be noted that the school
leaving age will be raised to 15 years on the 1st September, 1939, and that this increase in the school
population has not been specifically taken into account. In these circumstances it will be appreciated
that the estimated total attendances of 281,162 is more likely to err on the side of understatement
than overstatement.