[Report 1943] / School Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1943
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1943] / School Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Annual Report for the Year 1943. GENERAL. During 1943, notwithstanding the reduction in the medical and dental staffs the work was well maintained. This was made possible, to some extent, by the fact that many of the children who had come into the County under the Government Evacuation Scheme returned to their home towns, and also by the reduction in the attendance of Medical Officers at the weekly Welfare Centres to once a fortnight. The suggestion of the Ministry to cut down the ordinary medical inspections, and to arrange instead frequent surveys of the school population, has not so far been followed in this County, and during 1943 the ordinary routine examinations of elementary school children, namely, the entrants, the 8-year-olds, and the 12-year-olds, continued to be carried out ; while in the secondary schools the inspection of the pupils also took place in the ordinary way. This has naturally caused something of a time lag in that the schools are not visited so frequently, but it does ensure that the interval between the examinations of individual children is not unduly long, and permits of more thorough and effective following up of cases requiring observation or treat¬ ment. STAFF CHANGES. One of the Temporary Assistant Medical Officers, Dr. McKendrick, resigned in January, 1943, and Dr. Yuill, who commenced duties in February, 1943, was directed into private practice in June, 1943, thus, there were for the greater part of the year only four Assistant Medical Officers and three Dental Officers ; and several changes likewise took place among the Whole-time Health Visitors, part of whose duties includes school nursing. It should be noted, of course, that the four Assistant Medical Officers were not engaged whole-time on School Medical Work, but had a range of other duties to cover, including those connected with the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme. MEDICAL INSPECTION AND TREATMENT. Evacuation.—Some 12,000 children were sent to this County in 1939 under the Government Evacuation Scheme for unaccompanied school children, and although many of them returned home within the following few months, a second evacuation to this County took place in the summer of 1940. No mass return immediately followed, but considerable numbers have gradually departed, and at the end of 1943 only 1,712 remained in Shropshire. Troubles and difficulties were inevitable with such a complete change of circumstances and environment for so many of the children, but these were in large measure overcome, and it is but just and fair to pay tribute to the patience, tolerance, and kindness of the foster-parents in bringing about this desirable result. Though some of the local authorities had to establish hostels in severa] of the larger houses in the County for the more difficult amongst the children, the need for this type of billet also gradually became less until only three hostels remained open at the end of the year.