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Patients who ask for a reduction in the standard charge of £7 7s. 0d., must complete an economic
circumstances form and they are assessed by the finance officer. They may also ask for payment of travelling
expenses.
Number of recommendations: —
1963 1962
Adults 60 98
Children 13 6
73 104
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE (Tables 62-73)
Medical Inspection
Routine medical inspection in schools continued, and the high percentage of children in a satisfactory
physical condition was maintained.
Handicapped Pupils
In October the Audiology Unit or Hearing Clinic at Neasden opened, under the direction of Dr. L.
Fisch. Previously children with hearing defects had to be referred for further investigation to one of the
County's Units at Heston, or Tottenham, or to the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital at Gray's
Inn Road. After only two months, it is quite obvious from the number of cases referred and attendances made
that this new service is a great boon both to medical staff and parents in the assessment and supervision of
the partially hearing and deaf child.
There is no delay in the admission of physically handicapped children to Lower Place Day Special
School, but there is a considerable waiting period between a child being recommended and its actual date
of admission to Woodfield Day School for Educationally Sub-normal Pupils.
CHILD GUIDANCE (Tables 74 and 75)
This year the clinic has had the uninterrupted services of a part-time consultant psychiatrist and two
full-time educational psychologists, but the establishment of two and a half psychiatric social workers has been
occupied by six different persons. The establishment of one and a half psychotherapists is made of part-time
workers of different psychological schools and the centre is proud of the fact that the professional staff has
a most varied outlook on the work of helping the emotionally disturbed.
The team continues to investigate and treat the problems of children referred from any source;
about half of whom were from medical sources and 16% from the parents themselves. There are about twice
as many boys as girls referred.
Table 75 shows the diagnoses made by the psychiatrist, and by far the largest number have behaviour
problems occasioned by environmental factors. A growing problem is that of school phobia ; this usually
has little connection with the school itself but springs from home difficulties. The waiting list at the end of
the year was 23 compared with 17 last year. This is not great when compared with other areas.
There is a need for day classes for maladjusted children. At the moment such children are placed
at residential schools and certainly it is frequently desirable for the child to be away from home. However,
there are many children who do not fit into a normal school but do not require a residential place. Many
school phobics could attend a small class with a sympathetic teacher, even though they do not attend ordinary
school.
The work of the school psychological service continues; on an average each psychologist visits a
school a day during the school year.
Close liaison with the school medical officers has been maintained through monthly conferences and
weekly visits of the psychiatrist and psychiatric social workers to school clinics.
SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE AND PRIORITY DENTAL SERVICE
(Tables 76 and 77)
The staff situation is still satisfactory insofar that it is possible to offer complete treatment to all
school children and priority patients willing to accept it. The availability of part-time dental officers is now
such that a fair degree of selection is possible in making appointments, but the recruitment of full-time
officers remains difficult.
As the benefits of dental treatment are becoming more appreciated, an increasing number of
patients is requesting and receiving more frequent inspection and treatment with a resulting improvement
in the proportion of teeth which can be conserved.
There is also a considerable increase in the amount of work done which is not revealed by the actual
figures. The greater use of new equipment and techniques encourages more ambitious and complicated
conservations and restorations which, although more time-consuming, result in the saving of many teeth which,
a few years ago, would undoubtedly have been lost.
CHIROPODY (Table 78)
A full-time chiropodist was working all through the year, and the number of patients seen was greater
than in the previous year, with prospects of further improvement in the future as more chiropodists become
available.