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Statistics
1965 1966
New registrations (Council's consultant, hospitals, etc.) 91 108
(i) Blind 49 59
(ii) Partially-sighted 42 49
Certificates accepted from other local authorities
(i) Blind 10 11
(ii) Partially-sighted 2 7
Re-examinations 59 56
At 31.3.66 there were 498 blind and 194 partially sighted persons on the register.
MEDICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR LONG-STAY IMMIGRANTS
Many immigrants are unfamiliar with our customs and ignorant of the scope and arrangement
of the health services, and it is desirable that soon after their arrival they be visited and advised
to register with a general medical practitioner; also that arrangements be made, inappropriate cases,
for an x-ray of the chest.
A register is maintained by the Health Department of all immigrants for whom notifications
of arrival have been received from the sea or air port of entry. The information is passed to field
staff and home visits are made either by health visitors or, in the case of single male immigrants,
by public health inspectors. Immigrants working in hospitals or for doctors are excluded, on the
assumption that their employers will advise them. If the initial home visit is unsuccessful a second
attempt is made; if this also fails, a card, which explains briefly, and in several languages, the
health services available to persons living in the United Kingdom, is left at the house. This card
is a duplicate of that issued to immigrants at the port of arrival.
All visits, successful or not, are recorded in the register. Inl966 there were l,102notifications
of arrival. 1,025 reports were received from the field staff, contact being made in 480 cases.
Reasons for failure to contact the other 545 were as follows
No reply (after 2 visits) 103
Moved away 112
No such address 9
Not known at address given 153
Employed by hospital/doctor 118
Other reasons 50
TRAINING
INSERVICE
Inservice training courses were held during the year for medical officers, geriatric visitors
and home helps.
The training course for geriatric visitors lasted six full days spread over a fortnight
enabling them to carry out essential district duties on days when there were no course activities.
A comprehensive and varied programme was arranged, designed to give full information on all
services bearing on the care of the aged. I gave an introductory talk in which I discussed the
problems of the elderly in the community and endeavoured to relate the work of geriatric visitors
to the wide range of health and other services which are being provided. Other senior officers
of the Department discussed the full range of departmental services both in the personal and in
the environmental field. The Chief Welfare Officer arranged two halfday sessions during which
residential and community services of the Welfare Department were discussed and shown in action.
A general practitioner, who was a member of the Working Party which had recently produced the
report 'Our Old People', discussed the integration of the family doctor and the local authority
services for the elderly. Two whole days were spent at University College Hospital and the
Whittington Hospital during which a comprehensive programme of lectures, discussions and demonstrations
was held. Talks on the voluntary services were given by the Secretaries of the Camden
Council of Social Service and the Camden Old People's Welfare Association.
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