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Outworkers.
The last return of outworkers made by employers of labour in the Borough
and by other local authorities shows that this type of work continues to be
popular with women unable for one reason or another to go out to work.
There were 252 outworkers in the lists returned in August, compared with
257 in 1953. The nature of their work is as follows:—
Wearing Apparel 130
Lampshades 87
Stuffed Toys 15
Household Linen 14
Feather Sorting 2
Plastic Moulding 2
Making of Artificial Flowers 1
Box Making 1
Over 60 per cent. of these outworkers are employed by local firms, and the
remainder by firms throughout the country from such distant places as Yeovil and
Bradford.
Local industries also employ 132 outworkers who live outside the Borough.
The woman sanitary inspector visits the homes of outworkers periodically to
ensure that the working conditions are satisfactory, 346 such inspections being
carried out during 1954.
Old People's Welfare.
Much more time is now being spent with the old people in the Borough by
the Council's Welfare visitor. Altogether 2,716 visits were made to the homes of
the elderly, compared with 2,520 the previous year. Problems dealt with by the
Council's visitor, who is a qualified nurse and also a sanitary inspector, included
the voluntary removal of persons in need of hospital or institutional care, the
provision of help from neighbours and friends, or the services of a home help, and
many matters which, although fairly easily resolved, were, nevertheless, of great
importance to the old person at the time.
Although in a number of cases it was necessary to arrange the removal of
elderly persons to hospital, in no case was it found necessary to secure their
compulsory removal under the procedure laid down by the National Assistance
Act, 1948. Assistance in one form or another was provided wherever possible to
help the old person to lead a happier and more comfortable life.
The assistance and co-operation of the General Medical Practitioners, District
Nurses, Home Helps, Hospital Authorities and numerous voluntary persons working
in the Borough for the welfare of old people, is of very great value in this work.
During the last two years the Borough Council have had special liaison with
the Old People's Welfare Committee of the Woolwich Council of Social Service
in order to secure better co-ordination between the two bodies regarding the
problems of old people in the Borough. Representatives of the Old People's
Welfare Committee attend meetings of the Council's Health Committee when old
people's welfare matters are being discussed, and in addition the Council appoints
four representatives to attend meetings of the Old People's Welfare Committee.
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