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91
Introduction.
For some time past we have incorporated with the
School Medical Service treatment of the pre-school child,
a routine medical inspection of the child being made at
the welfare centre at the age of three to four years, prior
to entry to school. Children under five years of age
attend the special clinics of the School Medical Service,
and with the increasing use of the clinics, enlargement of
premises has become necessary. The building of a new
clinic at Bromley Common will fulfil a need and will also
add to the effectiveness of the services provided by the
Local Authority.
The services increased during the year owing to the
extension of the Borough to include the parishes of Hayes
and Keston, whereby some 500 children were added to
the school rolls. This necessitated bringing in certain
part-time medical staff in order to relieve the full-time
staff of certain clinics. Dr. F. G. France has been
appointed to the Tonsil and Adenoid Clinic and Dental
Clinic as Anaesthetist, and Mr. A. M. Hickley as
Specialist for the Eye Clinic. There has been no other
change in the routine of the service during the year, but
a trial is being given to include medical inspection of the
10 years of age group as an additional routine age group.
It is too early to report on the value of such inspection
prior to the child's entry to a senior school.
Three thousand five hundred and nine children passed
through the various clinics during the year 1934,
requiring a total of 5,086 medical inspections. This does
not include the Dental Clinic where 4,101 attendances
were made. These figures give some idea of the extent of
the services provided by the Local Education Authority
for the treatment of minor ailment and for the
maintenance of the health of the school child.
The results of the work of the School Medical Service
have long since proved its value, and the future extension
of the services must be to bridge the gap between the
leaving age and the employment age.
There still remains the tendency to treat the School
Medical Service as an Out-patient Service for the sick