London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Merton 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]
This page requires JavaScript
2 Clerks.
1 Full-time Home Help.
197 Part-time Home Helps.
Organisation
Recruitment was more successful than during the previous year
and 34 part-time Home Helps were engaged. At the same time the
demands on the service also increased, but it was, of course, easier to
help the applicants. There is still, however, a shortage of Home Helps.
Little progress was made under the Neighbourly Help Scheme,
as most neighbours in a Borough where there is plenty of industry are
already working.
Statistics
The following table gives details of the numbers and types of
cases attended by Home Helps during the year:—
| Cases on books at 31st Dec., 1965 | Cases on books at 31st Dec., 1966 | Total cases dealt with during 1966 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic Sick and Aged | 819 | 966 | 1,237 |
| Tuberculosis | 9 | 16 | 17 |
| Acute Illness | 35 | 19 | 128 |
| Maternity | 4 | 2 | 101 |
| Totals | 867 | 1,003 | 1,483 |
As in previous years the demands of the aged category have
absorbed the greatest proportion of the increased help available, the
number of current cases in this category on 31st December, 1966,
being 966.
Details of Sources of Applications in 1966
General Practitioners 481
Hospitals 254
Health Visitors 15
Home Nurses 1
Welfare Services 5
Blind Welfare 2
Maternity Bookings 152
Others 11
921
The Organiser and the three Assistant Organisers have paid 815
first visits and 2,423 re-visits to homes in connection with the service.
41