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ORTHOPAEDIC TREATMENT OF CHILDREN
Children requiring massage, orthopaedic treatment or
remedial exercises were referred to the Art School, Church
Road, Teddington, and to the West Middlesex County Hospital.
NURSING HOMES.
There are fifteen registered private nursing homes'in
the Borough, two having been registered during the year. All
the homes were kept under periodic supervision during the
year.
The three voluntary hospitals which received.private
patients are exempted from registration as is also the Bearsted
Memorial Hospital,
MY NURSERY SERVICE.
The'five Day Nurseries in the Borough, accommodating 245
children, were used to capacity during the year. The routine
medical examination of children was carried out at regular
intervals and confirms that a high standard of well-being is
being maintained. Apart from two oases of poliomyelitis and minor
outbreaks of measles, chicken pox and whooping cough, there was
no serious outbreak of infection in the nurseries.
The training of staff at the Day Nurseries was continued
but no students were entered for the Examination of the National
Nursery Examination Board. Three of the staff successfully
completed the Child Care Reserve Supplementary Course and were
awarded the appropriate certificate.
As in previous years, courses in Mothercraft Training were
arranged for senior girls from the schools, practical demonstrations
in the care of children being given by the nursery staffs.
Five pre-nursing students from the Twickenham County School wore
successful in obtaining tho certificate of the Roya". Sanitary
Institute in mothercraft, four of the students passing the
examination with distinction.
During the year a few changes were made. In view of the
low attendances of children at the nurseries on Saturdays it
was decided to close the nurseries on this morning without
undue hardship to the parents. The admission charge to parents
of children attending 'the day nurseries was raised to a maximum
charge qf G/- per day. Parents who requested reduction were
assessed according to the family financial circumstances, and
every parent had the right to appeal to the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee, The majority of parents received reductions,
the average charge throughout being about two shillings per day.
Considerable thought was given to the policy of admission;
to ensure that the most deserving cases recoived the available
places, every applicant was given a category of priority,
admission being based upon the domestic circumstances as
ascertained by the health visitor. The categories into which
they have been divided for this purpose were:-
Category
(1) Widows, unmarried mothers, separated and
divorced wives, wives with husbands sick or
incapacitated, and other cases where the womah
is the sole support of tho family,
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