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The figures of attendances at the Cleansing Station increased during 1943 by
72 per cent. This clinic is working very successfully, and appears to enjoy the confidence
of the General Practitioners and of the Public. Very heavy cases of infestation are becoming
much less frequent, a sign that more care is being taken by the Public to ask for advice and
treatment before infestation of scabies or vermin becomes too heavy. It has been
unnecessary to use the compulsory powers under the Scabies Order to obtain attendances
during the year. A few refractory cases have required to be visited by the Health Visitors,
or School Attendance Officers.
Ambulance Facilities.
Two motor ambulances under the control of this department are provided by the
Council for the use of residents to remove non-infectious and accident cases to hospital,
and for other ambulance work. The vehicles are stationed at the Salisbury Road Civil
Defence Depot, and are manned by the members of the Casualty Service. There are
increasing demands on this service which functions successfully. Details of the work of
this service are as follows:—

Poor Law Medical Relief.
The Relieving Officer issued 362 Medical Orders during 1943. Some of these
cases also received outdoor relief or institutional treatment.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Health Visiting.
The district is divided into five health visitor's areas, in which each officer does
all health visiting work, including infectious diseases, home-visiting, and visiting schools
in connection with infectious disease, but excluding child life protection visiting which,
as heretofore, is done by one of the health visitors, who is also Child Protection Visitor.
See Appendix Table VIII for summary of visits during 1943.
It will be noted that the number of examinations in schools was greatly increased.
This was because of the increase in infectious disease during the year, which meant the
examination of large numbers of contacts in the schools.
Child Life Protection.
The Senior Health Visitor is specially appointed to deal with Child Life Protection
work. This work increased during 1943, and consists of visits monthly to foster mothers,
and the inspection of children under their care. Under the Adoption of1 Children
(Regulation) Act, 1939, the Child Life Protection Officer must now report on, and keep
under observation, all persons who wish to adopt children, and children who are to be
adopted, until such time as legal adoption has been carried out. See Appendix Table IX
for statistics of this work.
Consultant Aid in Difficult Labour.
A consultant obstetrician for difficult cases of labour is available to medical practitioners
practising in Southall. During the year the consultant was not called in. An
economic circumstance scale is in force and includes the payment of fees in these cases.
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