London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Merton 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]
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SUBNORMALITY
At the end of the year 182 patients, as shown below, were in the community care of the Authority:—
| Category of patient | Under 16 years | 16 years and over | Total | Grand Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | ||
| Subnormal patients receiving routine home visits | 5 | 9 | 18 | 39 | 23 | 48 | 71 |
| Severely subnormal patients receiving routine home visits | 29 | 28 | 30 | 24 | 59 | 52 | 111 |
| Totals | 34 | 37 | 48 | 63 | 82 | 100 | 182 |
| Patients included in above figures who are attending Junior or Adult Training Centres | 33 | 26 | 25 | 19 | 58 | 45 | 103 |
Special Care Unit
The Special Care Unit continues to meet the needs of severely
subnormal children who suffer additional handicaps. Although a 20place
unit might well still be adequate for the needs of the Borough,
the fact that our neighbouring Boroughs do not at present possess
Special Care Units does mean that with the applications for help from
Sutton and Wandsworth the Unit is always full. However, we have
not had to delay the admission of any Merton case, since the acceptance
of cases from other Boroughs is conditional upon there being no
Merton case awaiting admission.
The table below gives details of the number of attendances at the Special Care Unit during the year:—
| Merton | Sutton | Wands'th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of children attending on 1.1.68 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 17 |
| No. of children attending on 31.12.68 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 21 |
| No. of attendances made during year | 1,800 | 660 | 294 | 2,754 |
Junior Training Centre
The number of children on the Register of the Juinor Training
Centre at the end of the year was 49. However, in the course of the
year it has been possible to make some alterations to facilitate the
reception of Merton children under the age of five. This will enable
us to make more efficient use of the premises and provide a further
service to parents.
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