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32
ORTHOPAEDIC TREATMENT.
This i.s undertaken by the London County Council and the General
Hospitals in the Borough.
Children attending the Welfare Centres needing attention are
referred by the Medical Officer in charge to the various hospitals for
treatment.
CHILDREN UNDER SCHOOL AGE.
(Ministry Circular 1550—England.)
On 29th May, 1936, the Ministry of Health issued the above Circular
for the consideration of the Maternity and Child Welfare authorities
throughout England and Wales.
In the first place it is my intention to give a short outline on the
various sections of the Circular, to be followed by an outline of the services
already provided by the Council, as a guide to the Committee, should
they desire to review the present arrangements with a view to providing
a more extensive system of health visiting of children between the ages
of 1—5 years.
In Section 2 of the Circular the Minister is concerned to find that in
many areas insufficient attention is being given to the health of young
children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years, and he understands
that more than 16 per cent. of the children entering school are found to
require treatment for some disease or defect.
Section 3 deals with the policy of the Government in regard to the
provision of nursery schools, but, as the Minister points out, whatever
provision is made a very considerable number of children under the age
of 5 will remain at home, it is therefore essential that in all areas there
should be systematic periodical health visiting of those young children
who are not in attendance at school.
In Section 4 the Minister reminds Local Authorities that it should be
the duty of the health visitor to see these children at regular intervals,
and in all cases where there is ground for suspecting disease or defect,
the mother should be advised to consult the family doctor or to take the
child to the appropriate clinic for medical examination without delay.
It is also noted that in some areas special arrangements have been
made for the holding of "toddlers' clinics" at infant welfare centres.