View report page

50
Occupational Therapy
The Occupational Therapist based at the Chest Clinic works in close
co-operation with the Clinic's Medical Staff, Medical Social Worker and
Health Visitors. Her duties include home visits to long-term home-bound
patients as well as terminal cases, and running a weekly class in the Clinic
for those patients fit enough to attend. A new venture this year was a trip
to Windsor by car which was greatly enjoyed by everyone.
B.C.G. Vaccination
Part of the routine measures to prevent the spread of tuberculosis
is the offer of B.C.G. vaccination to susceptible contacts of actual cases.
The susceptible contacts are identified by means of a simple skin test,
which indicates whether the additional protection of vaccination is
required. During the year, 722 contacts of actual cases were tested and
vaccination offered and accepted by 225 individuals.
Advisory Clinics for the Elderly
Weekly advisory clinics for the elderly continued during the year
with sessions at Broadway Clinic, Wealdstone; Tenby Road Clinic,
Edgware and Kenmore Road Clinic, Kenton.
These clinics offer advice on personal problems, diet, accident
prevention and social welfare. Any person found, on examination, to have
a condition requiring further investigation or treatment is referred with a
letter to his own medical practitioner.
Referrals to the clinics come from health visitors, social workers,
chiropodists, and the organisers of the various clubs for the elderly held
throughout the Borough. Transport to the clinic is arranged by voluntary
services and referrals from the clinic are made to other services including
chiropody, home help, home nursing and meals-on-wheels.
During the year 67 new cases were seen. The total on the register was
202 and a total of 426 visits were made during the year.
Intermittent Haemodialysis in the Home
In Circular 2/68 the Minister of Health stated that the expansion of
the programme for the treatment of patients with chronic renal failure by
intermittent haemodialysis was dependent on more patients beingtreated at
home. Hospital authorities provide and maintain the haemodialysis
equipment and provide the relevant medical services. They can also pay
for the extra cost of electricity and for the installation and rental of a
telephone where this is necessary. Adaptations required in the home
preparatory to the installation of the dialysis machine can be carried out
by the local authority under Section 12 of the Health Services and Public
Health Act, 1968.
During the year adaptations were carried out in one house in the
Borough prior to the installation of home renal dialysis equipment.