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
Hackney 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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| Age | 0-3 months | 3-6 months | 6-9 months | 9-12 months | 1 year | 2-4 years | 5-14 years | 15 years and over | Tota1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary vaccinations | 7 | 16 | 24 | 26 | 2,097 | 822 | 83 | 149 | 3,224 |
| Re-vaccinations | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | 4 | 39 | 174 | 711 | 928 |
Arrangements are in force whereby the state of Immunity of the children
is ascertained and any necessary steps taken to arrange either for immunisation
or re-immunisation.
SECTION 28 - PREVENTION OF ILLNESS AND AFTER-CARE
This section is probably the most comprehensive section in the National
Health Service Act, as far as local health authorities are concerned; it can
be used, subject to Ministerial approval, to carry out any functions which
might prevent illness, allow for the care of illness or to give help to persons
who have had illness: its application depends much on the initiative of each
borough. As far as this borough is concerned some of its applications fall
under the following heads:-
CHIROPODY
In addition to the general powers to provide foot clinics under this Section
of the Act, local authorities have the power to give grants to voluntary organisations
who are providing a chiropody service.
This Borough holds foot clinics at five of the maternal and child welfare
centres and at the Salvation Army Goodwill Centre, New North Road, N.1.
Details of attendances are set out in the table below:-
| Age | Children | Males | Females | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 5-14 | 15-64 | 65+ | 15-59 | 60+ | ||
| First attendances | 5 | 489 | 65 | 106 | 227 | 349 | 1,241 |
| Total attendances | 6 | 2,496 | 1,353 | 3,130 | 6,535 | 17,837 | 31,357 |
Fee paying attendances 7,475
Free attendances 23,882
No. of sessions held 4,310
No. of failures to attend 3,512
Percentage of bookings who failed to attend 10.1
The demand for this service far exceeds that which the Council provides;
the main reason being the general shortage of chiropodists. The Government
has laid down that chiropodists directly employed by a local authority must be
registered in accordance with the provisions of the Professions Supplementary
to Medicine Act, 1960. Ideally, of course, a domiciliary service would be
highly desirable in order to reach those people who for obvious reasons cannot
attend for treatment, and it is hoped in the forth-coming year to look into
this question.