London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hackney 1968

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]

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21
CHILD HEALTH CENTRES
Attendances at some child health sessions have fallen during the year,
but the overall decrease is very small and only what would be expected with
the decline in the number of births. All babies being brought to the centres
for the first occasion are given a full and careful medical examination. In
addition advice on immunisation and vaccination and on general care is given
individually to each mother by the health visitor, who will already have visited
the home. Mothers are advised to attend at intervals of a few months, and
particularly at the time of the child's birthday, in order that the physical
and mental development may be supervised. In this way it may be possible to
note defects at an early stage and deal with them promptly.
Number of children who attended Council clinics during 1968:-
Who were born in 1968 3,878
Who were born in 1967 3,362
Who were born in 1963-66 4,790
Total attendances 46,207
Number of sessions 1,878
Number medically examined 19,680
Number referred elsewhere 831

Child Health Attendances

Barton HouseShoreditch H.C. (including Cranston)Elsdale Street (including Wick)John Scott H.C.Lower ClaptonRichmond RoadUpper ClaptonWest Hackney
Estimated population served by the Centre24,00036,00038,00029,00033,00032,00037,00014,000
Number of first visits by health visitors488719739503748498690519
Total number of children who attended1,2581,2241,8531,4441,4101,3271,8411,673
Total attendances5,8984,8697,1255,4066,3684, 1766,3376,028
Number of sessions195204312204248250239195
Number of children medically examined2,2011,9612,8902,2832,5922, 1483,1452,460
Number referred elsewhere79466492114733990
Average attendance per session3024232626172731
Per cent medically examined3740414241515041
Per cent referred by M.O. elsewhere422440.3114

Lower Clapton Road Maternal and Child Health Centre, formerly accommodated
in noisy and cramped conditions at 28 Lower Clapton Road was transferred, in
November, to 6 Lower Clapton Road. These premises which were previously owned
by the Hackney District Nursing Association and now the property of the
Council were adapted to give better facilities for ante-natal, child health,
prophylaxis, family planning and cervical cytology sessions.
In 1967 a sub-committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee under
the Chairmanship of Sir Wilfred Sheldon examined the medical functions and
medical staffing of Child Welfare Centres. In 1968 the then Minister of Health
issued a circular (34/68) in which he endorsed the Committee's recommendations.
It would therefore seem appropriate to consider these recommendations in some
detail and discuss how they apply to procedures adopted by this Council.