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Supply of Dried Milks, etc.
National Dried Milk and Welfare Foods are available at all the Municipal Infant
Welfare Clinics for all children on the Clinic Registers. These foods are normally issued
by the Clinic Clerks, but at one of the centres a Clerk from the Food Office attends for
this purpose for one session per week. Dried Milk and Welfare Foods are also available
at one main Food Office and two Sub-Food Offices within the area and also at four other
centres which are opened on one day per week by the Food Office staff solely for the
distribution of these foods.
In addition, other foods are available at the municipal centres. Where the family
is in receipt of National Assistance and is, therefore, entitled to free milk, consideration
may be given to the free issue of certain nutrients which are normally on sale.
Dental Care.
Owing to the shortage of qualified dentists it has not been possible to make any
appointments of whole-time dental officers for the Maternity and Child Welfare Services
since the appointed day. A part-time appointment proved to be very short-lived, but one
private dentist who worked in the Council's clinics before the National Health Service
has continued loyally to devote one session per week to this purpose.
In order to try and alleviate the position it was decided in October, 1948, to open
early evening clinics for expectant and nursing mothers and their children on a trial basis.
They are held between 4.30 and 7.0 p.m. and are conducted by the Council's whole-time
dental officers from the School Health Service for additional remuneration. They have
proved quite acceptable to the patients, but unfortunately owing to subsequent reductions
in the number of whole-time officers, only four such sessions per week were being operated
at the end of 1952. The possibility of attracting dentists from outside the services to
these evening clinics is under consideration.
In the light of experience it seems virtually certain that in this area at least,
so long as the shortage of qualified dentists persists it will be necessary to carry on the
service on a part-time basis by expedients sUch as those Just described; and the scope of
the service will be correspondingly limited. The only hope, for many years to come, of
any expansion would appear to be in the adoption of some kind of scheme for the employment
of dental auxiliaries trained to give skilled conservative treatment under the general
supervision of a qualified dentist.
Statistical information for the year 1952 is set out below. By comparison with 1951
there was a small increase in the number of expectant and nursing mothers treated, partly
balanced by a decline in the number of children treated. This may well be due to a greater
readiness of the dentists in the General Dental Service to accept children as patients.
Indeed, were it not for the part-payment for dentures required the nursing and expectant
mothers would probably also show a decline in numbers.