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49
Each minor ailment clinic is staffed by a clinic nurse; details of
the defects treated are set out below:-
Athlete's foot 37
Plantar warts (verrucae) 383
Other skin disease 3
Bruises, lacerations, etc 79
502
In addition 528 school children attended one of the Council's
chiropody clinics - mainly for the treatment of plantar warts.
School children made a total of 774 attendances at the two bathing
centres, 636 children attended for vermin and nits, and 126 for scabies.
EDUCATION (HANDICAPPED CHILDREN) ACT 1970
On 1st April 1971, junior training centres and special care units
throughout the country were transferred to Local Education Authorities
and became an integral part of the School Health Service. No children
are declared ineducable or unsuitable for education and all are considered
worthy of participating in the school system in some form or
other. Ickburgh Training Centre and Special Care Unit and Millfields
Special Care Unit then became part of the Inner London Education
Authority, under their new names Ickburgh School and Marsh House School.
Four new Primary Schools were opened in 1971, viz Fountayne Road,
Baden Powell, Harrington Hill and Lauriston. The number of school
medical inspections per 1000 pupils was 566 compared with 601 in 1970.
HEALTH SURVEYS
Although the number of school medical inspections fell (largely
due to staffing difficulties) the number of children seen at selective
and comprehensive surveys by School Nurses increased during the year.
The special investigation clinics are staffed by a doctor and social
worker working together on nutritional, bedwetting and behavioural
problems. Here again the overall attendance was lower than in 1970.
The School Health Service Social Work Group have had exceptional difficulties
with staffing but have managed to give a good service all the
same. There is no doubt that an increase in these sessions would help
to sort out school problems before they get out of hand. The future
placement of these social workers was under discussion between I.L.E.A.
and London Boroughs' Association throughout the year and, regretfully,
had not been decided upon at the time of writing this Report. Three
hundred and thirteen children from Hackney Schools went on holiday
arranged by the Inner London Education Authority. Tower Hamlets is the
only other area with a comparable figure.
The school nurse also undertakes communicable disease surveys for
particular conditions such as plantar warts or athletes foot.