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36
Good personal relationships have been established with the consultant
staff of the hospitals, and reports on patients discharged are regularly
rendered.
After-care is ensured by co-ordination of almoners with the Public
Health Department through the Superintendent Nursing Officer and the Superintendent
Health Visitor.
Members of the health visiting staff visit children's wards of local
hospitals with the paediatrician to ensure complete liaison.
Regional Hospital Board consultants come to the Local Health Authority
clinics as part of the School Health Service for :-
(1) Ear, nose and throat work including examination
of children referred after audiometric group
testing:
(ii) Ophthalmic work.
and it is hoped arrangements will be concluded for similar attendances at:(iii)
An orthoptic clinics
(iv) An orthopaedic clinic.
Referral to hospital from local authority clinics for investigation and
treatment is easy and appointments are made by the clerical staff through
the hospital appointments officers.
Pathological investigations 9 including comprehensive blood examination
of expectant mothers, is carried out by arrangement with the pathologists
to East Ham Memorial Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital.
These laboratories also deal with large numbers of swabs and specimens
during epidemics and other local epidemiological investigations.
No difficulty is experienced in admission to hospital of cases of
infectious disease on medical or medico-social grounds.
Children are often referred back from hospital out-patient departments
to our school health, physiotherapy, sunlight and speech therapy clinics for
treatment and general surveillance. This excellent measure of co-ordination
prevents loss of valuable schooling time and parents' working hours.
It is anticipated that before the end of this year the follow-up and
after-care of diabetics will be undertaken by specially trained health
visitors in close co-operation with the hospital diabetic clinics.
(b) Local Health Authority and General Practitioners. The Medical
Officer of Health and representatives of the Local Authority are members
of the Local Executive Counclls and very good liaison has been established.
Every assistance is given to general practitioners in diagnosis and
investigation of infectious diseases and cases of food poisoning, as well
as in the hospitalisation of persons on medico-social grounds.
In many instances a member of the public health staff will collect
and despatch specimens and telephone results of bacteriological examinations
to general practitioners.
Co-operation with general practitioners had been furthered by all
possible means to ensure the best available medical services to young
and old alike in the borough.
Arrangements have been made to assist general practitioners in the
investigation of cases of food poisoning, and their close co-operation
ensured in preventing the spread of such types of illness.