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43
Loan of Nursing Equipment
The British Red Cross Society continued to operate the scheme for
the loan of nursing equipment. This equipment helps in the nursing of
patients in their own homes. A small hire charge is made but in cases
where the patient is unable to pay the hire charge, it is paid by the Borough.
Monies collected are used to purchase replacement equipment as required.
In addition additional equipment is purchased by the Borough to meet
requests for loan of articles on the approved list.
Number of articles loaned during the year .. 1,188
The Red Cross depot is at 39 Sheepcote Road, Harrow—Telephone
01-427 8788.
Tuberculosis
The Borough is served by two clinics:-
(1) the Harrow Chest Clinic, Station Road, Harrow (Chest Physician
Dr. R. Grenville-Mathers) covering the main part of the district,
and
(2) the Edgware Chest Clinic, Edgware Hospital (Chest Physician
Dr. H. J. Trenchard) which includes in its catchment area the
small remaining part of the Borough in the Edgware District.
Care and After Care
The treatment, the preventive, and the after care services for this
disease are all inter-related and in order to achieve the best results must
of necessity work in close liaison. For this reason the arrangements for
this service continue to be centred on the two chest clinics under the
general supervision of the physicians in charge.
The services provided include general welfare, home visiting,
occupational therapy and vaccination against tuberculosis.
Welfare
The advisory services of a welfare officer are available to all patients.
This officer is mainly concerned with the many medical-social problems
that can and do arise in households as a result of a case or cases of tuberculosis
occurring there. Latterly with the fall in the incidence of tuberculosis,
more cases with other chest complaints—chronic bronchitis and
lung cancer—are being seen at the clinic. These cases also have many
social problems and are helped by the welfare services. Financial advice,
rehabilitation and training, recuperative holidays, extra nourishment, etc.
—are all included in the welfare officers sphere of work.