View report page

23
The Committee emphasised the need for making the best possible arrangements
not only for the child, but for the family who require support in many
cases. For this, contact with other social services is needed.
The Circular stressed the concern of the Secretary of State for Education
and the Minister of Health in securing full co-operation between the child and
school health services. Both hold the view that this is facilitated where the
same officers work in both services and one machine can do the work of two.
Congenital Abnormalities at Birth
The same system of recording, coding and notification to the Registrar
General of all congenital abnormalities detectable at birth was carried out
as in previous years. There was only a very small difference in the total
number, 106 in 70 babies as against 100 in 84 babies in 1967.
The occurrence of spina bifida and hydrocephalus increased by 2 and 5
respectively, cleft lip and palate by 4; talipes (deformities of the feet) also
increased, but the number of anencephalic foetuses, defects in the urogenital
system and mongolism were somewhat reduced. None of these differences is large
enough to be statistically significant in the relatively small total:
Anencephaly 3 Talipes 19
Hydrocephalus 9 Defects of upper limbs 5
Spina bifida 7 Defects of hip and lower limbs 7
Defects of eye 1 Defect of spine 1
Defects of ear 1 Defect of face and neck 1
Cleft lip and palate 14 Defects of muscles (including
Hiatus hernia 1 umbilical hernia) 5
Congenital heart disease 1 Defects of skin 1
Defects of respiratory system 5 Exomphalos 2
Defects of urogenital system 9 Mongolism 1
Reduction deformities 1 Other specific syndromes 3
Polydactyly and Syndactyly 9 106
Observation register
Children who are at risk of developing a handicap, and therefore under
close supervision at the Child Health Centres, are included on a punch card
register. The number "at risk" at the end of the year was 3,403. If Medical
Officers report that development has proceeded normally, they are subsequently
removed from this register after a satisfactory medical examination or
transferred to the handicap register if a handicapping condition should arise.
Children with handicapping conditions
Plans for the setting up of a register on a punch card system for all
children with handicaps in the Borough which were mentioned in last year's
report were finalised, and at the end of the year the records of those
children already known, either of pre-school or school age, were in process
of being transferred to the new register. It was intended that from the
beginning of 1969 it would be in full use. A request for an up to date report
is sent to the centre in the district where the child lives, each year during
the birthday month. In this way the register is kept alive, and information
relating to the special needs of handicapped children is obtained.
DENTAL SERVICE
During 1968 a total of 440.5 sessions were devoted to the dental care of
expectant and nursing mothers, and children under the age of 5 years. This
compared with 468.5 sessions in 1967. Of the total number of sessions, 12
were utilised for dental health education, in addition to those forming part
of the "Healthy teeth for Hackney" campaign to which reference is made in the
section dealing with the school dental service. Towards the end of the year a
dental auxiliary began to provide dental health instruction at child health
and toddlers sessions at the John Scott Health Centre. By this means it is