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Recuperative Holidays
The Local Health Authority are empowered to provide recuperative
holidays for persons not in need of medical or nursing attention and
during the year 10 cases from the Borough have been sent away. The
length of convalscence was:—
One week 3
Two weeks 4
Three weeks Nil
Four weeks 2
Five weeks 1
Domestic Help Service
Miss Keay, Domestic Help Organiser reports as follows:—
The year 1955 showed an increase of 30 per cent in applications for
Domestic Help, the increase being absorbed mainly in help for the
aged and maternity cases. The service continues to be administered
as in previous years and all cases are visited as frequently as possible
—a total of 884 visits being made throughout the year.
Liaison with District Nurses, Health Visitors and Hospital Almoners
is good, the aged and sick benefitting from the joint effort.
There is still an acute shortage of Domestic Helps, despite efforts
made to recruit through the Ministry of Labour, and advertising in
the local newspapers. A total of 10 full-time and 45 part-time domestic
helps is employed to attend to the varied wants of 160 patients.
When an emergency call is received this does at times necessitate
a Domestic Help being transferred to meet the greater need and her
normal duties are left in abeyance. Every effort is made to attend
people who are completely dependent on the service, for fires and
meals. In connection with the latter the W.V.S. "Meals on Wheels"
scheme, providing hot meals on Wednesdays and Fridays, has been
of invaluable assistance.
The Domestic Helps are to be congratulated on their unswerving
efforts to comfort the sick and aged; many of them give freely of
their own time over and above the duties asked of them by the
service.
During the year one Help attended a Training Course at Chelmsford
and was successful in obtaining a certificate. A total of 4 helps
have now attended this Course, and one and all have enjoyed it, and
found it has broadened their outlook on the work and given them
renewed vigour to carry out the tasks allotted to them.
The requests for help for T.B. patients has continued low, and fortunately
all requests were met.
The aged chronic sick continue to grow in number, and are an
increasing problem with the labour situation as acute as it is. Every
effort is made, however, to keep the waiting period for help as short
as possible, and to provide adequate help for the essential needs.
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