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congenital abnormalities, the observation register and
arrangements for handicapped pupils as a combined
operation are yet in their infancy but can only
prove of benefit to the individual child. The Local
Health Authority will also have the advantage of a
more complete record of handicaps in childhood and
the statistics kept in co-operation with hospital
authorities will prove most useful for future planning
of the obstetric and paediatric services, both for the
hospitals and the Authority.
Phenylketonuria
Health visitors carry out phenistix tests for phenylketonuria
on as many young babies as possible at the
ages of three and six weeks. No positive reactions
were obtained.
Asian Immigrants
A small, but gradually rising, number of Indian
and Pakistani families now live in the borough. A
large centre of Asian immigration lies just to the north
of the borough and some drift into the area of this
authority has occurred.
The exact number is not known but is estimated to
be between 4,000 and 5,000 and some tendency to
congregate in districts is becoming manifest.
The basic problem with health education amongst
this population is still that of language, and consideration
will have to be given to the appointment of an
interpreter so that essential advice on hygiene and
food values will be easier to impart.
Care of the unsupported mother and her child
The responsibility for this work in the borough was
taken over by one of the special services almoners
(medical social workers) engaged on this work under
the former Middlesex County Council who was
transferred to the London Borough of Ealing.
The job of this medical social worker is to secure
as far as possible adequate care of the unsupported
mother during the pregnancy, make suitable arrangements
for her confinement and also for the post-natal
care of the mother and child. She supports the mother
in making her return to life in the community and
in making arrangements for the satisfactory care of
the child. In this work the almoner has to seek
co-operation from national, local authority and
voluntary agencies. In many cases the unmarried
mothers are placed in suitable homes during the later
stages of pregnancy and again for a period after the
birth of the baby which usually takes place in hospital.
St Agnes Home Chiswick, maintained by the
Hammersmith Deanery Association for Moral
Welfare Work, is the only mother and baby home
situated in the borough, but other local authority and
voluntary homes are also used. During the year the
borough accepted financial responsibility for 10
mothers placed in St Agnes Home and for 57 mothers
placed in homes outside the borough. These mothers
are required to pay a standard charge towards their
care, subject to assessment on the Council's scale of
charges.
Day Nurseries
There are three day nurseries in the borough—
Danesbury Road Feltham (40 places); Portsdown
House Brentford (32 places) and Nantly House
Hounslow (54 places). These nurseries provide day
care for children aged six weeks to five years, whose
mothers need to work in order to support them, or by
reason of ill-health are unable to provide them with
adequate care or whose home conditions are such as
to present a danger to their health. A number of
handicapped children are also admitted subject to
their numbers not exceeding 15 per cent of the
number of approved places. These children are
referred to later in greater detail. Certain short term
admissions are also made because of some temporary
emergency which prevents a mother from caring for
the children. A charge, subject to an income assessment
scale, is made for all admissions to a day
nursery. The attendance of children at day nurseries
is erratic so it is usual to register up to 10 per cent in
excess of the number of approved places. Throughout
the year these nurseries worked to full capacity and at
times of staff shortage the strain was considerable.
The attendances made by children were as under—
Feltham Day Nursery 8,050
Portsdown House 6,935
Nantly House 12,693
Portsdown House and Nantly House are approved
for the training of nursery nurses. Practical training
is given in the nurseries and academic work is done at
Chiswick Polytechnic.
During 1965 a warden attended a two weeks'
wardens refresher course and a nursery nurse attended
a two weeks' nursery nurses refresher course. Both
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