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22
HOME HELP SERVICE.
In Richmond the Home Help Service is a combined one and
provides help for Domiliciliary Maternity Cases and Cases of illness
and other emergencies in the home.
The Service is organised from the Public Health Department
and detailed administration is in the hands of the Senior Clerk.
A staff of 12 to 14 Home Helps was maintained throughout the
year, with the result that it was possible to give a more complete and
satisfactory service to those who required it.
The following are details of the work carried out by Home
Helps during 1948:—
No of households attended:—
(a) M. and C.W. cases 58. (b) Domestic cases 86.
Number of hours engaged in work:—
(a) M. and C.W. cases 5,062. (b) Domestic cases 10,660.
Altogether an average of 87.3 hours were spent on each M. and
C.W. case, and an average of 123.9 hours per Domestic case.
This is the service that gets more praise and more abuse than
any other. If great efforts to recruit Home Helps were made the
number employed could be considerably increased. All demands
could be met and the Public Health Department would be managing
a Domestic Agency. Applicants for help would be satisfied but the
ratepayers would undoubtedly object to the very heavy expenditure.
These facts are kept constantly in mind and an endeavour is
made to maintain a staff which will be able to help in all cases of
real need and who can be usefully employed when there is less
pressure upon their services.
Expectant mothers who are to be confined at home are promised
full time home help in advance. It often happens that the baby is
born much earlier or much later than was expected. Occasionally a
number of babies expected at reasonable intervals, are all born on or
near the same day. Such occurrences are liable to dislocate the
service. In order to help the mother with the new born child, Home