[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council.

  • Middlesex (England). County Council. n 99020326.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/88 page 9
    PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE AND AFTER CARE Tuberculosis and Venereal Diseases.—Descriptions of the services provided by the County Council for the benefit of patients suffering from these diseases will be found on pages 3 and 5 of this report. Loan of Nursing Equipment.—From 1st January to 31st October in addition to the loan of the smaller items of nursing equipment, purchased from the previous district nursing associations, the County Council received 111 applications for the loan of larger items of equipment not otherwise available to the public. Of these applications 89 were met and the remaining 22 patients either subsequently withdrew their applications or were referred to other authorities. All equipment was loaned free of charge. Following the approval by the Minister of Health of the County Council’s amended proposal under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, for a scheme for the loan of nursing equipment through the agency of voluntary organisations, arrangements were made for the Middlesex Branch of the British Red Cross Society to operate the scheme on behalf of the County Council from 1st November, 1951. Details of the scheme are set out in an appendix to this report. During the period 1st November to 31st December articles of nursing equipment were loaned to 2,045 patients. Recuperative Holiday Homes.—During the year the County Council accepted financial liability for the maintenance of 2,565 persons in recuperative holiday homes; 2,236 were admitted to such homes; the remaining 329 applications were cancelled or withdrawn. Of the 2,236 cases admitted, 1,958 were adults and 278 were children under school age. Children of school age were dealt with under Education Act powers. Applications were received from the following sources:— Source Hospitals . General practitioners . Other (voluntary associations, etc.) No. of cases 1,361 762 442 Chiropody.—In addition to the services provided under Section 22 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, the chiropody services provided in Edmonton and in Brentford and Chiswick which were established before the National Health Service Act, now operate under Section 28 of that Act. These facilities are provided mainly for the elderly for whom chiropody is an important service for not only does it bring physical comfort but it encourages mobility and in its turn mobility encourages health. Health Education.—It is difficult to write of health education under a separate heading for this is something which permeates and is part of all or nearly all the activities of the department. The most effective kind of health education is that passed personally by word of mouth and this is going on all the time. The Comity Council has continued its financial support of the Central Council for Health Education which has during the year given all possible help in this field. MENTAL HEALTH The community mental health services for which the County Council is responsible are under the immediate control of the Mental Health Sub-Committee of the Health Committee. A Principal Medical Officer is responsible for these services to the County Medical Officer, who reports to the monthly meeting of the Sub-Committee. During the year the resignation was received of Dr. H. E. Beasley, M.B., B.S., D.P.M., Principal Medical Officer, who left the department in July, 1951. Since then Dr. R. D. Fidler, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.P.H., Senior Medical Officer has undertaken much of the administrative work and has been assisted in some of the clinical work by Dr. J. F. Penson, M.A., M.B., B.Ch., D.P.M., who was engaged on a part-time temporary basis. The approved establishment of other staff is set out below together with the number of actual staff employed at 31st December, 1951. Establishment Actual Mental welfare officers (duly authorised) . 30 27 Lady supervision officers. 4 4 Occupation centres—supervisors. 6 6 assistant supervisors . 6 6 trainees . 13 13 Industrial training centre—supervisor. 1 1 assistant supervisor ... 1 1 (C 4709)s b
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