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made before the war for suitable cases to be sent away for admission to
convalescent homes. This provision was intended to apply to convalescents
and the period of stay consequently is limited to a few weeks.
Children requiring longer periods away are referred to the County Council
to be dealt with through the machinery of their hospital service.
Up to recently it had been the practice of the Council, while providing
advisory services free of cost, to make a charge for the treatment services.
This charge was a percentage, in some cases of 100, of the cost of the
service to the authority, the proportion being determined according to
an approved scale in which regard was had to the number in family and
the net income per head of family, an allowance being made for certain
outgoings such as rent, insurance, travelling expenses. According to
the provisions of the 1944 Education Act, treatment services provided
by an education authority to children attending maintained schools were
in future to be provided free of charge. The maternity and child welfare
committee decided at its meeting in May that as from the 1st July treatment
services available under the Council's maternity and child welfare
activities be provided free of charge to all children under five years of
age who are not within the scope of the school medical services to be
provided under the Education Act, 1944. This includes the provision of
appliances such as spectacles or orthopaedic apparatus, and covers the
cost of hospitals and convalescent home treatment.
The following are particulars of the various treatment facilities
available :—
Dental Treatment : This is undertaken by the staff of the Middlesex
Education Committee who treat patients in five clinics in the
district. General anaesthetic sessions are held as required. The
number of children under five treated during 1945 was 233.
Physio-therapeutic Treatment: Children are referred from the local
clinics to be seen by the physio-therapist or the orthopaedic
surgeon at the Marlborough Hill Clinic, any treatment required
being provided by the clinic staff and the clinic itself being
administered by the Harrow Hospital. Children under five
recommended for treatment by the Council's staff of the clinic
are treated on behalf of the Council even though they were not
in the first instance referred from a Council clinic. The forms
of physio-therapy ^available include exposure to rays or mercury
vapour and carbon arc lamps, short wave therapy, massage and
active exercises. Class exercises are held for the correction of
postural conditions. 173 new cases were referred during the
year. The total number of attendances by patients was 1,551
(195 massage and 1,356 electro-therapeutic). 51 patients were
seen by the consultant orthopaedic surgeon and 384 by the
consultant physio-therapist. Orthopaedic patients requiring
in-patient treatment are admitted to the Stanmore Orthopaedic
Hospital; during the war years to St. Vincent's Hospital,
Eastcote, as well.
Correction of Visual Defects : Children requiring ophthalmic treatment
receive this at the hands of the Education Committee