[Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Reading County Borough.

  • Reading (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1938
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Reading County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    90/108 (page 90)
    CO-OPERATION OF TEACHERS. Reference has been made in the past to the many ways in which the work of the school medical service is helped by the ready co-operation of the teachers. This help has continued to be given willingly during the past year. In particular a considerable demand on their services is caused by the mid-day supply of milk to the scholars. CO-OPERATION OF SCHOOL WELFARE VISITORS. There is a cordial co-operation between the school medical department and the welfare visitors whose help is particularly valuable in the investi¬ gation of crippling defects in children who may be absent from school for lengthened periods. Moreover, any medical records which the welfare visitors obtain are available for the information of the school medical service. The prosecu¬ tion of parents who have wilfully neglected to keep their children clean is carried out through the welfare department. CO-OPERATION OF VOLUNTARY BODIES. National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The officer of the local branch (Inspector Grocott) has continued to render most helpful assistance during the year, working in close co-operation with the health visitors in dealing with difficult cases to whom, and to the department as a whole, he is always willing to render every possible assistance. I am much indebted to him for his kind and efficient co-operation. British Red Cross Orthopaedic Fund. This association has maintained close touch with the work of the local authority during the year. Members of the association attend the weekly clinic at the Royal Berkshire hospital encouraging the children to attend and assisting in the provision of orthopaedic appliances in necessitous cases. Patients requiring home supervision are referred by the association to the health department for visitation by the lady health visitors. BLIND, DEAF, DEFECTIVE AND EPILEPTIC CHILDREN. (a) Table III. in the Appendix gives statistics regarding the schoo] children in the Reading area who require more specialised treatment, educational or medical. They are conveniently classed together as the “ blind, deaf, defective and epileptic.” A register is kept of all children found to be suffering from these defects and it is kept up-to-date through the instrumentality of teachers, welfare visitors and health visitors who are continually referring cases. During the year, the following cases were examined at the weekly clinic which is held for that purpose.