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therapist together with a receipt for the nominal fee to be collected by
the physiotherapist after each treatment. She retains these fees which
go towards the full fee for each treatment. The physiotherapist
reports direct to the doctor on the patient's progress.
The object of the domiciliary service is as much to restore workers,
including housewives, suffering from acute conditions as to stimulate
to greater activity patients suffering from chronic conditions. It is not
intended that the service be used if the patient can without detriment
attend a hospital or clinic, and treatment may not be continued where a
patient fails to respond to stimulation by physiotherapy.
The scheme came into operation on the 1st April, 1954. Fifteen
private chartered physiotherapists have agreed to give treatment under
the scheme.
GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES
The number of general medical practitioners whose practice extends
to the Borough of Harrow is learned of from notifications of infectious
diseases or of births. This number of 147 includes some who live outside
the district though visiting homes in this area and in some cases having
surgeries here. According to the return of the Middlesex Executive
Council in February, 1954, there were 123 doctors taking part in Harrow
in the general medical service under the National Health Service Act. 82
of these also take part in the maternity services provided under the Act.
DAY NURSERIES, ETC.
Up to the outbreak of the war there had never been any marked
demand in this district for the provision by the authority of day nurseries
which are establishments which accept children from some days after
birth up to the age of five years, primarily to free the mothers to go out
to work. During the war seven day nurseries were opened. Some of
these were closed as nurseries at the end of the war, two of them becoming
nursery schools. The Harrow Council maintained the remaining four
nurseries which in 1948 were taken over by the Middlesex County Council
by the effect of the National Health Service Act. These nurseries were
at Spencer Road, Wealdstone; Walton Avenue, South Harrow; Kenmore
Road, Kenton and Headstone Drive, Wealdstone.
The nurseries are intended primarily for the children of mothers
engaged whole-time on work classed as of national importance. In
their Development plan, the County Council's proposals regarding day
nurseries were: " It is considered that the provision of day nurseries
is required to meet social, rather than health needs. In the circumstances,
the demand is likely to be somewhat fluctuating and the County
Council accordingly does not propose to embark upon a policy of progressive
expansion of this service. It will be guided both as to the
numbers of nurseries provided, and their siting, by local demands for
women in industry. In any case, it does not propose to encourage the
reception of infants under the age of two years in day nurseries."
Each of these nurseries was well attended until towards the end of
1952 when the County Council altered the arrangements for the admission
of children to their day nurseries. Many children who had up to then
attended were withdrawn. In some at least of these cases it was under-