View report page

69
Registration and Inspection of Private Homes for the Elderly
There were three registered voluntary old people's homes
and twelve registered private old people's homes within the borough
at the end of the year. Two private homes closed during the year.
The registered homes were regularly inspected and 32
visits were made during the year.
Meals-on-Wheels
This service continued to expand throughout the year as
more and more referrals were received from hospitals, district nurses,
health visitors, doctors, statutory and voluntary organisations, and
it is now felt that the existing kitchen is working to its maximum
capacity. The department has maintained its close link with the
voluntary organisations, and to assist them with the delivery of
the meals so that the five day week service could be maintained, a
part-time van driver was employed during May 1970 to drive the
Council's van and so relieve the pressure on the local voluntary
organisation delivering meals in the Surbiton area.
An indication of how this service has grown can be seen
from the following comparative figures.
It is hoped that the new meals-on-wheels kitchen planned
for the Alpha Road area will be operational in the not too distant
future.
At Christmas 1970, 285 free Christmas dinners consisting
of the traditional turkey, savoury stuffing, sausages, roast potatoes,
brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding were delivered to the elderly
people in the borough.