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Red Cross Society to provide replacements for
smaller items of worn equipment.
Chiropody Service
The chiropody service is available for the elderly,
physically handicapped, expectant and nursing
mothers and children. This is provided at fully
equipped Council clinics and health centres, at
private chiropodists' surgeries and in the patients'
own homes. The service is augmented by the
Heston and Isleworth Old People's Welfare
Committee who, acting as agents on behalf of the
borough council, conduct their own clinics and
domiciliary treatments.
The demands on the Council's directly-provided
service have continued to increase during 1967
and despite the continuing shortage of chiropodists
an average of twenty-one-and-a-half weekly
sessions were held throughout the year in local
authority premises, compared with nineteen-anda-half
during 1966. A total of 1,116 clinic sessions
were held, at which 1,549 patients made 8,037
attendances for treatment. Four chiropodists made
3,624 home visits to patients who were unable to
attend the clinics because of their infirmity. The
number of patients requiring domiciliary treatment
fell from 612 to 402 and as a result it was possible
to provide a better service. At Brentford and
Chiswick 18 patients made 96 attendances at a
private chiropodist's surgery, for which payment
was made by the Council. These arrangements
ceased in the summer when the chiropodist moved
from the area and the patients concerned were
referred to the nearest local authority clinic for
treatment.
The Heston and Isleworth Old People's Welfare
Committee continued to employ two chiropodists
throughout the year, when 220 domiciliary
patients received a total of 1,023 home visits and
270 patients made 1,247 attendances at specially
arranged sessions. The Council paid the
organisation an agreed increased quarterly grant
of £475 which was based on the existing case load.
The Heston and Isleworth Old People's Welfare
Committee works in close co-operation with the
Department of Health and provides an invaluable
service as an adjunct to the local authority's
directly-provided service.
Problem Families
Special efforts continue to be made to assist
families, often for long periods, where mothering
and fathering is inadequate and home life is
generally far below the accepted minimum, often
due to poor management or irresponsible
behaviour on the part of weak or unstable
parents. Sharing in this work are members of the
Children's Department and voluntary agencies
such as the NSPCC.