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89
The spastic and anterior poliomyelitis cases continue to show
improvement, and the Walking Machine which was recently purchased
has proved a most valuable asset in the treatment of these children.
The Sunlight clinic has not been quite so busy as in the previous
year, a total of 395 treatments being given to school children."
SPEECH CLINIC.
A Speech Therapy clinic is held at the South Clinic. The one
session a week is inadequate to deal with the local demand.
1 am able this year to submit a full report by the Chief Speech
Therapist for the County, who clearly indicates the position in her
report.
"Miss Snellgrove, who has been spending one session per week
at Bromley, resigned her appointment in August, 1951, in order to take
up her duties as Senior Therapist at the Moor House Residential School
for Speech Defective Children. Miss Edsor was appointed in her place
and has been in charge of the Bromley Clinic since November, 1951.
Unfortunately Miss Snellgrove's resignation resulted in a break of
over two months in the work which was going on in this clinic.
An arrangement made during the year between the County Health
Department and the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board
now makes it possible for appointments to be made for adults at the
speech therapy clinics.
In Kent, not only are the clinics open to children attending
schools, but appointments can also be given to children of under
school age as well as adults.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health estimate
that a school population of 10,000 warrants the appointment of a full
time therapist.
As the work of the Bromley clinic is administered by the Speech
Therapy Department under the County Health Department and as
any expansion, under the present arrangement, would have to be considered
in the light of the needs of the County as a whole, I feel it is
not out of place to explain that the waiting lists throughout the
County constitute a serious problem. At present five therapists
(excluding myself) is the establishment approved by the County. The
waiting lists in the County, including that of Bromley, are such that
an establishment of at least fourteen therapists could be employed by
the County; any expansion of the service in the future cannot be
considered solely in regard to the establishment of clinics and therapists,
but consideration must also be given to the work which is going
through the County Speech Therapy Department office; increased
accommodation and staffing are needed there if the ever increasing