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(c) Opening of School Clinics during School Holidays:—
During 1927, it was decided, as a result of a review by
the Wimbledon Borough Council of the amount of annual
leave of officials, that the school clinics should remain open
during the school holidays. This opening of clinics during
holidays has been tried on previous occasions, but was
abandoned as the children failed to attend for treatment.
It can quite rightly be contended that the minor ailments
and dental defects which require treatment are not due to
school environment and that, therefore, treatment is equally
necessary during the holidays, but the part played by the
school teachers in securing the regular attendance of the
scholars at the clinics must not be forgotten. There is also
the fact that many children, very naturally, regard their
attendance at the Clinics as a pleasant relief from school
work, who would look on similar attendance during holidays
as a waste of time.
Dental treatment by appointment can easily be arranged
with the co-operation of parents, but the attendance for the
treatment of minor ailments is a different matter and can
only be developed by educating the parents. Other work in
connection with the scheme can also be suitably arranged
during holiday time.
(d) Payment Schemes at the Clinic:—In my Annual Report
for 1926, the reasons were detailed which led the Committee
to adopt an increased scale of payments for treatment
given. The results of over one year's working are very
gratifying. No case was refused treatment on the grounds of
inability to pay, and no complaints were received.
The receipts of the Dental Clinic were practically
doubled, the numbers treated remaining the same. (1s. 11d.
per head as against 1s.).
In the Minor Ailments Clinic the receipts show a slight
increase from £5 to £5 10s., with an increase of about one
hundred children treated.
The amount recovered from parents for Tonsil and
Adenoid Operations was also increased from the average of
7s. 6d. per head to 11s. per head.
(e) Savings Associations:—Agreements have now been
made with both the Hospital Savings Association and with
the Hospital Saturday Fund, whereby the children of contributors
to these Associations are treated for tonsil and
adenoid operations on presentation of the Voucher of the
Association.
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