London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
East Ham 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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64
Section 29—Domestic Help.
A full-time organiser for the home and domestic help service
was appointed and little difficulty has been experienced in recruiting
the right type of personnel to carry out the duties required. A
clerk has also been found necessary to encompass the clerical work
and to interview callers.
The expansion of the service has been somewhat more rapid
than was envisaged. Whereas on July 5th, 1948, the staff comprised
five full-time permanent helps and 12 casual helps on the
register, the number employed on December 31st, 1948, was eight
full-time and one part-time permanent and seventeen casual helps,
and subsequently the Minister of Health approved the increase in
the establishment of the service as necessary to a maximum of sixty
full-time or an equivalent number of part-time staff : this figure
is being rapidly approached.
Recruitment of home helps by the usual methods of propaganda
and house canvass has not been found necessary. A
distinctive badge has been issued to persons appointed permanently
and the hours of work were reduced in 1949 to forty-four per week.
It should be noted that there is an alteration in designation of all
those employed, from " home and domestic helps " to " home
helps," and no helps are specifically allocated to maternity or
sickness cases.
There has been a wide and gratifying demand for home helps and
the service has proved a great boon to all sections of the community.
Section 29—Statistics.
TABLE 24.—Helps provided in Sickness eases from 5/7/48 to 31/12/48.
| No. of weeks Service provided | No. of hours per week | Totals | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 4 hours | Over 4 and under 8 | Over 8 and under 12 | Over 12 and under 16 | Over 16 and under 20 | Over 20 and under 24 | Over 24 and under 28 | Over 28 and under 32 | Over 32 and under 36 | Over 36 and under 40 | Over 40 and under 44 | Over 44 and up to 48 | ||
| 1— 2 weeks | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 20 |
| 3— 4 „ | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 11 |
| 5— 6 „ | — | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| 7— 8 „ | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 9 |
| 9—10 „ | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 |
| 11—12 „ | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 7 |
| 13—14 „ | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
| 15—16 „ | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| 17—18 „ | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| 19—20 „ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21—22 „ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23—24 „ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| 25—26 „ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Totals | 7 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 66 |
| No. of cases receiving Help on 31/12/48 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 47 |