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Out-door Shelters at the Homes of Patients.—The Council maintain twelve
shelters for use by patients who return from sanatorium and are willing to continue
open-air treatment in their own gardens. Nine were in constant use during the
year. No charge is made for these shelters.
The Work of the Dispensaries.—The main Dispensary is at Maxey Road,
Plumstead and the branch dispensary in Eltham. The branch dispensary, opened
in 1931 in one of the hutments in Well Hall Road, had to be transfered temporarily to
11, Carnecke Gardens, in July, 1936, as the hutments were being demolished. Plans
for a new and more convenient building were under consideration at the close of
the year. Eight separate clinical sessions in all are held for men, women and children
five at Woolwich and three at Eltham; the Eltham clinics being held on Monday
afternoons for men and Wednesday and Friday mornings for women and children.
One evening session a week is held on Thursdays from 4.30 to 7.30 p.m. A medical
officer is in attendance at the main dispensary each week-day.
In accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health, the dispensary
figures are shown for the borough as a whole and not for individual dispensaries. The
total number of attendances at the dispensaries during 1937 was 5,751. Of the new
patients (257) notified during the year, 205 attended the dispensary, i.e., 79.7 per
cent. The corresponding percentages in 1935 and 1936 were 77.2 and 73.5.
A return of the work of the dispensaries is given in Table No. 58.
Home Visiting of Tuberculous Cases.—On receipt of a notification the home is
visited by one of the tuberculosis visitors who advises as to any re-arrangement
of sleeping and other accommodation that is desirable and possible in the interests
of the family as a whole. After an interval a second visit is made by one of the
medical staff to ascertain how far the recommendations have been adopted. For
the purpose of supervising the homes of patients the borough is divided into three
areas, each tuberculosis visitor being responsible for about 300 families. These
are visited as a routine measure once in three months, but if necessary more frequent
visits are paid and the relatives are invited to the dispensary to see the Care Committee
Secretary in case of any difficulty.
Cases of Doubtful Diagnosis.—The routine employment of X-rays in the
examination of new patients has reduced the number of doubtful cases, but there
still remain a number—-especially children—who have to be kept under observation
for a time. By a routine review of the case papers of all such patients control is
maintained and non-attenders are urged to come up again by the tuberculosis
visitors.