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79
The following is a summary of the home visits made by the health
visitors and clinic-nurses during 1962 as far as the Part III Services are
concerned:-
First visits to newly-born infants 2,508
Subsequent visits to children under 1 year of age 8,102
Subsequent visits to children over 1 year of age and
under 5 17,885
Visits to expectant mothers 1,376
Home visits for other reasons (inc. 2,020 visits to old
folk) 5,245
Total visits paid 35,116
In addition there were 7,445 visits paid where no reply was received.
Last year I reported that, at the request of the Director of the Public
Health Laboratory at the Chelmsford and Essex Hospital, assistance was
being given in a survey, which has been carried out in selected areas
throughout the Country, to determine the intestinal carriage of poliomyelitis,
other viruses and food poisoning organisms in young children. The survey
was commenced in Ilford in July 1961, with the object of covering over a
period of a year about 1,000 children under the age of five years, some 20
children being selected at random in specified age groups each week. A
letter sent to the parents explaining the nature of the survey and seeking
their co-operation was followed by a visit from the health visitor and those
parents who agreed to take part themselves posted to the laboratory a
specimen of the child's faeces. The excellent response was very gratifying
and I give below the final figures relating to Ilford's part in the survey,
the results of which have not yet been published:-
31.7.61. to 1.1.62. to
31.12.61. 30.6.62.
Number of families contacted by health visitors 505 506 1,011
Number of families who agreed to co-operate 494 483 977
Number of specimens received at the Laboratory 459 448 907
DAY NURSERIES
(a) The hours of opening at the two nurseries during 1962 continued
to be 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday only.
(b) The standard charge for accommodation at the day nurseries
remained at 10/6d. per child per day during 1962, although this has been
increased to 11/6d. per day from the 8th July, 1963. Provision is made for
this charge to be reduced according to scale when the means of the parents
do not justify the full fee.