View report page

41
of attendances to be made by the health visitors at the new
School Clinic, Princes Plain, and it has been necessary
to make inroads into the time available for home
visitation.
An analysis of the figures of Table XII. shows that of
820 births (live and still) known to have occurred in
Bromley in 1936, no less than 78 per cent. have received
visitation. This percentage is based oil a net figure of
784 births after making adjustment as regards inward and
outward transfers of births. "Ineffectual" visits have
not been taken into account in arriving at this percentage
figure.
There were 509 new enrolments of babies under one
year of age at welfare centres and this figure represents
64 per cent. of all notified births. Six hundred and
sixteen first visits to babies together with a further 1,427
following-up visits to these children makes a total of 2,043
visits to children under one year of age during 1936.
Of the aggregate total of 8,654 visits, 6,901 were
in connection with ante-natal, post-natal and welfare
generally of the mother, or the child under five years of
age.
Under the Ministry of Health Circular 1550 dated
29th May, 1936, Local Authorities were requested to review
their arrangements for supervising the health of young
children under school age, as it was apparent in many
areas that insufficient attention was given to the health of
young children between the ages of 18 months and five
years. Previous arrangements for treatment at the School
Clinics have been available for Bromley children of preschool
age who had attended infant welfare centres, and
also visitation by the health visitors had been carried out.
The scope of health visiting has, however, been
intensified in the manner suggested by the Minister of
Health so that all such children visited may be examined
at home by the health visitor and full treatment is
available at the special clinics of the School Medical
Service—irrespective as to whether the child attended
welfare centre or not. This extension of work was put
into operation during the latter half of the year 1936.