Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford and Chiswick]
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back again to the home of the old person No charge was made for the service
but for each case a certificate was submitted to the Public Health Committee.
During the year fourteen old persons had been recommended for, and obtained
this service
Holidays for the Elderly
In May 1964. 40 elderly persons were provided (by the Brentford and chiswick
Town Council) with a free holiday for one week , and in September, 1964, 40 more
people were sent on a half cost holiday. Holiday for elderly persons were also
provided by other local organisations, viz; the two Philanthropic Societies
and Chiswick Mission
WELFARE - GENERAL
Home Safety
The Sub-Committee for Home Safety met during the year several times and
various projects were considered and topical items discussed
It was decided that a fee would be paid for notification of home accidents
by doctors, whether in private or hospital practice, and the medical practitioners
and the authorities of the hospitals serving this area were notified
accordingly The fee was to be the same as the statutory fee for notification
of infectious diseases with, however, no backing of legal penalties for failure
to notify,
The response, however, was not good and the only indication of the types
of home accident occurring are still obtainable only from the deaths figures,
which although fortunately remaining low show only a very tiny proportion of
persons having such accidents Accidents in the home may, although not causing
fatal results, mean the life-long disability physical or mental, of the injured
persons
The hospital authorities of West Middlesex Hospital made a considerable
effort to try to help us to obtain statistics on past home accidents treated
in the hospital, but the amount of clerical work involved both for hospital
and departmental staff was too vast
There is no doubt that some scheme of correlation of the occurrence of
home accidents can be undertaken as a piece of research and this should be done
early in the life of the new authority as home accidents are the cause of much
unnecessary suffering, and even in the cold light of finance, cost the nation
enormous sums in treatment
During the year, the Children s Nightdresses Regulations 1964 were made
by the Secretary of State under the powers conferred on him in Section 1 of the
Consumer Protection Act, 1961 and came into force on 1st October, 1964 In
these Regulations, it became an offence to sell children's nightdresses which
were not made of flame proof material
The Sub-Committee arranged a film evening in March at which several films
on Home Safety subjects were shown to representatives of voluntary organisations
of the Borough and some representatives of statutory bodies
This evening was well attended and requests were made from two of the organisations
for private showings of the films to be made at their Club meetings,
These two showings were arranged and paid for by the Borough Council
In one of the films a fire detection system was demonstrated and enquiries
revealed that a similar system was available in this country Details of this
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