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79
The enlargement of the Medical, Nursing and Clerical Staff
is a matter of great satisfaction, as it should enable the department
to undertake more efficiently the increasing work, which the
expansion of the Council's Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme
involves.
It should provide for a more adequate supervision of the
infant population, especially between the ages of 3—5 years which
was lacking owing to the inadequacy of the existing staff.
It is realised throughout the country, that the problem of the
supervision of pre-school children must be faced, and increased
efforts made to discover and deal with defects amongst children
between 2—5 years if the large proportion of physical defects
found in children on admission to school is to be reduced. For
this purpose I suggest that Toddlers' Clinics be established as
soon as possible. These clinics would also, to some extent, relieve
the congestion which at present exists at the Infant Welfare
Centres.
Infant Welfare Clinics.
l imes and places at which Infant Welfare Clinics are held
are shown on page 35.
There are seven Infant Welfare Clinics held weekly. At five
of these two Doctors and two Health Visitors attend, at the remaining
two one Doctor and one Health Visitor are present,
assistance is also given by two voluntary workers. Previous to
October, 1930, there was only one Medical Officer in attendance
at each centre, but owing to the expansion of the work and the
increasing high number of attendances of infants at the centres,
it was found necessary to make arrangements for a temporary
part-time Medical Officer to attend five of the clinics, pending:
investigations with a view to appointing: an additional full-time
Medical Officer.
Attendances at Infant Welfare Clinics:—
Number of General Clinics held during the year 318
Number of individual children who attended the
Clinics 3,723
Total number of attendances 22,265
Tola! number of children who attended the Clinic
for the first time during the year—