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8
performed by qualified Health Visitors. As in the case of domiciliary midwives,
consideration to the provision of living accommodation for Health
\ isitors will have to be given at the earliest possible moment.
With the appointment of a whole-time Organiser, the scheme for the
supply of Home and Domestic Helps has steadily progressed and is fulfilling
a long felt urgent need.
I he School Medical Service is now catering for a school population of
19,002 an increase of 932 on the previous year. The number of routine medical
inspections, re-inspections and special examinations conducted are indicated
in the School Medical Section of the Report.
Attendances at the various Specialist .Clinics were again increased. The
position regarding the operative treatment of tonsils and adenoids remains
unsatisfactory. Owing to lack of adequate hospital facilities the waiting lists
are large, and undue delay in securing treatment results. So far as is possible
priority ol treatment is secured for children urgently in need of operation.
Every possible endeavour has been made to ameliorate the position, which
is not peculiar to Ilford, as enquiry reveals a similar situation obtaining
throughout the County. It also appears that most of the hospitals in London
have similar over-burdened waiting lists.
During the year, arrangements were made for the provision of orthoptic
clinic facilities. By courtesy of the Medical Officer of Health of Walthamstow,
and with the sanction of the County Council, arrangements have been made
for school children requiring this treatment to attend the orthoptic clinic at
Walthamstow.
The urgent local need for increased provision of day and residential school
accommodation for educationally subnormal pupils and institutional facilities
for ineducable children still exists. The Special Classes attached to Newbury
Park School are fulfilling a most important function and producing very
satisfactory results. The Local Education Authority have approved the establishment
of a Child Guidance Clinic to be accommodated in Loxford Hall by
permission of the Borough Council. It is hoped that this will come into
operation in the near future.
The future position of the various health services is bound up with the
operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946. Under its provisions
Ilford becomes an area of Divisional Administration for certain of the services
administered by the County Council under Part III of the Act. For this
purpose the County Council have constituted an Area sub-Committee, which
will assume responsibility for the day to day administration of the Maternity
and Child Welfare Services, domiciliary midwifery, health visiting, home
nursing, vaccination, immunisation, care and after-care of the sick, and
domestic help. For the administration of these services it has been proposed
that I shall be appointed Area Medical Officer. The immediate result of this
alteration in control is that at' the executive level the services formerly existing
continue unaltered but the actual work is increased, partly by reason of
added facilities—vaccination and home nursing—and partly by the considerably
increased records, correspondence and complications of administrative procedure.
At the administrative level, locally and inter-departmentally, the work
will be much more involved and of necessity, more complicated and protracted.
At the representative level, local representation will be considerably lessened.
So far as the hospitals are concerned, the Isolation Hospital, the Maternity
Home and Wilnett Lodge pass from the control of the Council to that of the
North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, as from 5th July 1948.
For a period, at present limited to nine months, the Borough Council have
agreed to continue certain services (supplies, maintenance of premises and
plant, accounting, certain legal work and estate management) on an agency
basis.
It has been further agreed that in the meantime I shall continue as Medical
Superintendent of the Institutions, having the assistance of certain "non