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II. GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
Aged Persons Welfare
The Council is empowered by Section 47 of the National Assistance
Act, 1948, as amended by the National Assistance (Amendment) Act, 1951,
to make application to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction for an Order for
the removal to a hospital or institution of any aged, infirm or physically
incapacitated person living in insanitary conditions and who is in need
of care and attention.
This year, it was found necessary to apply for only one such Order
under this enactment in respect of a woman aged 80 years who was removed
to hospital. Voluntary admission to a hospital or institution was
obtained for 11 other persons.
Two women officers, both State Registered Nurses and one a certificated
health visitor, are employed for visiting aged persons in the
Borough, and 2,495 visits were made by these officers during the year.
A register of all old persons visited is kept in the Department:
amendments made to the register during the year were as follows:-
Number on register at 1st January, 1963 2171
Additions during the year 589
Removals during the year 217
Number on register at 31st December, 1963 2543
The Department continued operating its Laundry service for the
chronic sick who are unable by reason of ill-health, senility, etc. to
keep their personal laundry and bed linen in a clean condition. During
the year 4,611 articles of bed linen were dealt with.
In order to prevent injury, or danger of injury, to health, Section
43 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1953, operated by
the Borough Council, makes provision for the personal cleansing in their
own homes of aged persons who are verminous or otherwise in need of
bathing. 983 baths were given to 74 old people during the year by the
Council's Home Bathing service, which was inaugurated in 1950.
With a view to ascertaining the magnitude of the problem associated
with old people, not already known to this Department's visitors, who
might be in need of any of the socio-medical services available to them,
a pilot survey commenced tow rd the end of the year of persons aged 70
and over on the lists of seven general practitioners in the Borough. All
the old persons on one doctor's list had been visited by the end of the
year, and the following results were thrown up by the survey:-
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