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We look forward now to a continuing increase in nursery places and replacing all old
schools for the non-handicapped children, realising some of these children are the disadvantaged
ones where adequate early facilities help to minimise the effects of adverse background. We
have excellent co-operation from Head Teachers and Social Services in priority admissions of
children who need the extra help to nursery schools and day nurseries and the Development
Sessions in the clinics still provide excellent but limited places for observation and treatment
of those who require help of a more specialised nature than ordinary play groups and for whom
other facilities are not available.
Progress continues. One has doubts about future changes. There were these 25 years
ago; there were these 8 years ago. Both times the changes have been successful. We hope that
with the changes in 1974 the Child Health Service in Waltham Forest will again be able to
continue its increasing work of preparing babies through childhood for a satisfactory adult life.
THE DENTAL SERVICE
Mr.R.C.Ward, Principal Dental Officer, writes:-
Mr.G.P.L.Taylor, the Principal School Dental Officer, retired in January after several
months illness.
Geoffrey, with over thirty years service, first to Walthamstow and then to Waltham
Forest had been principal Dental Officer since 1965.
He was, perhaps, at his best treating handicapped children and could communicate
with, and handle even the most difficult patients. For this alone, we have missed him a great
deal.
Looking back over previous annual reports the problems of staff shortage is a recurrent
topic and 1972 was no exception.
Although we managed to recruit two full-time dental officers during the year, we were
still below an ideal establishment.
We were particularly fortunate to obtain the services of an extra dental technician,
despite their national shortage. This has allowed extra time to be spent on the provision of
ear moulds for Hawkswood School.
It was disappointing to note that the number of visits in this service had fallen from
the previous year, and that such a high proportion of children inspected required treatment.
Our target must be to encourage as many parents as possible to bring their children
for an inspection long before they are of school age. In this way the problem of having to deal
with a fractious child suffering from toothache could be avoided. If the first visit to the dentist
can be purely an inspection, or the carrying out of a minor procedure, a child's confidence is
soon gained and any future treatment can be carried out far more easily, and with much less
distress to the patient.
Despite our staffing problems the number of children inspected at school rose from
10,239 in 1971 to 14,635 in 1972. Taking into account those children inspected at the clinic,
51% of the school population received a dental inspection during the year compared with 41%
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Recruitment
Child Welfare
Service
School
ServiceInspections