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54
HOME HELP SERVICE
The function of the Home Help Service is to meet the needs
of people who for various reasons, such as home confinements,
sickness, or old age, and who are either permanently or temporarily
unable to carry out housework or who need assistance towards such
tasks as shopping, cleaning or cooking.
The service is permissive under Section 29 of the National
Health Service Act 1946, and a charge, based upon the wages of the
home help, is made for the service according to the number of hours
of service given. Where the financial position of the family is
such that they cannot afford to pay at this rate, either a reduced
charge according to means is made qr the service is provided free.
The staff consisted of a home help supervisor and her
assistant and the equivalent of 60 full-time home helps. The great
majority of home helps work part-time and the level of staffing was
considerably below the approved establishment throughout the year,

The total number of hours worked by the home help service
was 54,575.