View report page

FACILITIES FOR MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS IN SCHOOLS
The Standards for School Premises Regulations, 1954, do not specify separate
accommodation for medical inspection purposes, but require that suitable accommodation
shall be immediately available at any time during school hours for the inspection of
pupils by medical offioers, dental officers and nurses. The accommodation for such
inspection shall be well and suitably lighted and heated, and should be conveniently
accessable to a closet, and every room provided for such purposes shall include a wash
hand-basin with a supply of hot and cold water.
In planning the re-organisation of medical examinations in schools on more modern
lines, the availability of suitable premises for examinations and for interviewing parents,
is of the greatest importance. We have, therefore, started a detailed survey of the
present facilities in West Ham schools and hope to be able to report the results in the
next annual report.
HYGIENE OF SCHOOL PREMISES
Medical officers when visiting schools for medical inspection do not confine their
attention to seeing the children, but interest themselves in the general hygiene arrangements
and the conditions of the sanitary accommodation, in so far as these may affect the
health of the pupils and staff. They also visit the school kitchens and dining rooms to
assess the standards of food hygiene. This is in addition to the inspections made by the
Public Health Inspectors in accordance with the requirements of the Food Hygiene Regulations
of 1955. For a number of years now the medical officers have conducted a review of the
hygiene of each school at the completion of their periodic medical inspection. Although
the detailed reports for each school are kept in the central office observations made by
the medical officer are sent to the Chief Education Officer, whenever necessary, so that
he can consider how far and at what stage it may be practicable to implement any recommendations.
Minor matters may be remedied as they arise, but certain improvements can
only be implemented by inclusion in long-term plans. During the year 57 reports were made
and dealt with in this way.
HYGIENE INSPECTIONS
One of the duties of the nursing staff in schools is a cleanliness survey carried
out each term. The numbers found to be infested at these surveys are augmented by others
who are discovered at periodic or special medical inspections.
During the year 58,719 inspections were made at these cleanliness surveys and
413 instances of infestation found. On the basis of a school population of 28,379 this
gives a proportion of uncleanliness of 1.46 per cent, which compares with 1.47 per cent
in West Ham in 1957 and 1.8% which was the national figure in 1957. These numbers refer
to individual children, because however many times a child is found infested in the year,
it Is only recorded as one case. There are many instances of recurrent infestations in
the same children, and these persistent offenders provide the School Health Service with
one of its most pressing problems. Infestation in such children can rarely be eradicated
until the whole family is seen and treatment given to all those who need it.
88