View report page

SECTION B. - GENERAL PROVISION OF
HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE AREA.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACT, 1936, PART IV. — NURSING HOMES.
The Wimbledon Borough Council is responsible for the registration
and supervision of nursing homes in the Borough.
No additional homes were registered during the year. One maternity
hospital and one nursing home were exempted, on an annual basis, from
registration under Section 192 of the Public Health Act, 1936.
There was one application for the registration of an new nursing
home to take 15 chronic medical cases. At the end of the year registration
had not been granted pending compliance with fire precautions and
certain structural alterations.
The position at the end of 1956 was as follows :—
Number of homes on the register :—
Maternity Nil
Others 5
Number of beds provided 73
Number of visits of inspection to registered and
exempted homes during the year 7
NATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT, 1948.
NATIONAL ASSISTANCE (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1951.
Under Section 47 of the 1948 Act, power is given to the Councils of
County Boroughs and County Districts to apply to a Court of Summary
Jurisdiction for an Order for removal and detention, in a suitable
hospital or other place, of persons who
(a) are suffering from grave chronic disease, or, being aged,
infirm or physically incapacitated, are living in insanitary
conditions; and
(b) are unable to devote to themselves, and are not receiving from
other persons, proper care and attention.
The 1951 Act enables Local Authorities to deal more expeditiously
with very urgent cases by initial removal, for a period not exceeding
three weeks.
A number of border line cases were brought to the notice of the
Public Health Department for investigation during the year, and it is
gratifying to report that a satisfactory solution was found to each
particular problem without resorting to compulsory powers.
The problems associated with aged persons do not diminish. Their
needs are many and diverse and it is understandable that most of them
14