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Summary of Nurses' Visits.
Total to expectant mothers 195
Total children under 1 year of age 3566
Total children between the ages of 1 and 5 years 2820
Visits re Public Health matters, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, etc. 1349
Total 7930
Health Visitors' attendances at the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres, Ante-Natal
Clinics, etc., 722.
Health Visitors' attendances at Diphtheria Immunisation Clinics, 192.
Home Help for Mothers.—In November a new scheme for the provision of Home Helps
was instituted.
A panel of Home Helps, had been formed, and as far as possible each is called upon to
attend a case in turn. The proximity of the Home Help's address to that of the applicant is
sometimes a deciding factor.
Persons entitled to the assistance of a Home Help are those whose income is less than 8/per
head per week after the rent has been deducted, but in very exceptional circumstances, at the
discretion of the Medical Officer of Health, this may be extended up to 10/- per head. No
charge is made to the applicant for the services of the Home Help.
Usually the Home Help attends at a case for two weeks after the birth of the infant, but
in some cases, i.e. where the husband is unemployed, etc., a Home Help is sent in for half days
only. This enables the husband who can help in the home, to sign on at the Employment
Exchange and also look for employment.
The number of cases at which the Home Helps have been called upon to attend during the
year, was 30.
The rate of payment of the Home Help is £2 per week.
Grants of Milk.—Milk is supplied free or at reduced rate to expectant mothers (during
the last three months of pregnancy), to nursing mothers, and to children under three.
The number of grants made during the year was 1181, against 1052 for the previous year.
I mentioned in my Annual Report for last year that the Committee were in favour of a
more equitable Income Scale to assess the proportion of the cost to be borne by the applicants.
Comparison with other authorities indicated that our Income Scale was somewhat low, and
we had found it necessary frequently to treat cases as "Specials" and assess them outside the
scale.
The Committee considered the matter fully in January and decided to adopt the undermentioned
scale for a trial period of six months from the 1st April.
NEW INCOME SCALE.
Number
in
Family.
Income per head after deducting rent
Proportion of cost to be paid by applicant
Free up to
l/3rd.
2/3rds.
2
7/-
7/1d. to 8 /-
8/1 to 10/-
3
6/6d.
6/7d. to 8/-
8/1d. to 9/-
4
6/6d.
6/7d. to 8/-
8/1d. to 9/-
5
6/-
6/1d. to 7/6d.
7/7d. to 8/6d.
6
5/6d.
5/7d. to 7/-
7/ld. to 7/6d.
7
5/-
5/1d. to 6/6d.
6/7d. to 7/-
8
4/6d.
4/7d. to 6/-
6/1d. to 6/6d.
9
4/-
4/1d. to 5/6d.
5/7d. to 6/-
59