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35
From the information available at the time of operation
of the new Act, it is probable that only about one-third of all
infants were vaccinated.
3. HOME HELPS.
Arrangements were in force in the Borough for domestic assistance
to mothers whose confinements took place at home, and in
certain cases of illness at home.
In the case of those who require financial assistance, part
or whole of the cost was, up to 5th. July, 1948, borne by the
Corporation. The amount to be paid by t he mother was assessed
by the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee. During the period
under review 82 applications were received for home or domestic
helps for Kingston households.

x Up to 5.7.48 only
In other cases assistance was given by the Queen's Nurses of
the Kingston and District Nursing Association.
The Home Help Scheme began in 1940 in a small way, when the
Corporation engaged suitable women to undertake domestic duties
where mothers were having home confinements, and the pressure on
hospital maternity beds was excessive. These women were known as
Home Helps.
Some of them, and some others, specially reserved for the
purposes, undertook similar duties as domestic helps in households
where, on account of illness, such help was needed.
To begin with, the number of applications for Home Helps was
small, but increased in the succeeding years, till, at the time of
transfer of the responsibility for the service to the Surrey County
Council, in July, 1948, four full-time and six part-time Home and
Domestic Helps were employed. At that time the service was rapidly
developing and had become a busy and difficult part of the work of
the department.
NURSING HOMES (Surrey County Council)
The Surrey County Council is the Authority for registration
but delegated power of inspection to this Authority.
On 1st. January, 1948, there were two registered nursing homes
in the Borough and both were still on the register at the end of the
year.
One, at 20 Grove Crescent, has seven beds for chronic and senile
Patients. The other, at 6 Queens Road, is registered as a Maternity
Home with accommodation for ten patients. Each Nursing Home was
inspected at regular intervals during the year.
This responsibility is unaffected by the introduction of the
National Health Service Act, 1946.