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Another important part of the work was to develop the machinery of
co-ordination. With the creation of new responsibilities in health,
welfare and child care which had formerly been the province of the County
Council, together with the re-organisation of many existing voluntary
organisations and changes in the Housing Authorities, the importance of
efficient co-ordination was paramount. Case conferences were held whenever
necessary between workers from the numerous statutory and voluntary agencies
concerned with the family under discussion, the Senior Social Worker being
responsible for arranging and minuting these meetings and following up the
recommendations. The co-operation of officers of other departments and
voluntary agencies necessary for this work to proceed smoothly was willingly
supplied and much appreciated.
(2) Chest Clinics
Many patients attending chest clinics suffer from severely disabling
and chronic illness or require a prolonged course of treatment. The needs
for social worker support for these cases is sufficient to justify the
attachment of a full-time medical social worker to the chest clinic at
St.Helier Hospital who attends seven clinic sessions weekly and devotes three
half-days to visiting. The Disablement Resettlement Officer from the Ministry
of Labour visits weekly to discuss problems of rehabilitation, special
training and employment.
The type of problems presented by such patients include the following:
1. Prolonged treatment necessary creating financial difficulties for the
family caused by loss of earning capacity.
2. Permanent inability to work because of a chest or heart complaint and
therefore needing prolonged social support.
3. Advised to change from unsuitable employment to a different type of work.
4. Needing occupation at home because of limited physical ability to lead
a normal life.
5. In need of convalesence, recuperative holidays, or family holidays
following illness.
Home Visits
The medical social worker pays an average of twelve home visits weekly and
reports that the need to visit patients suffering from lung cancer and
chronic bronchitis and emphysema prevents her from visiting chronically
ill and tuberculous patients as frequently as she would wish.
Care Committees
There are two voluntary care committees operating in the Borough, one
covering the area of the old Sutton and Cheam Borough and the other the
Beddington, Wallington and Carshalton area. The care committees continue
to give excellent service to patients attending the chest clinics and their
work on behalf of non-tuberculous chest patients and their families is now
at about the same level as that for those suffering from tuberculosis. The
care committees work in close association with the staff of the chest clinics
and especially with the medical social worker to whom all requests for
financial help are referred.
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