[Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, East Riding of Yorkshire County Council.

  • East Riding of Yorkshire (England). County Council
Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, East Riding of Yorkshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    59/78 (page 55)
    REPORT OF THE SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER The work of the School Medical Department has continued steadily throughout the year. Certain adminis- trative changes were made possible b^' making use of the Divisional Administration Scheme brought into operation for the Health Ser vices generally. As :a result the routine scdiool medical work for the Buckrose and Holderness Health Divisions is now administered by the Divisional Medical (Mcers from their offices at Bridlington and Jleverley respectively. Similar arrangements will be made in the Howdensliire Health Division as soon as the long awaited offices at Pocklington are available. A Divisional xMedicad Offi cer has not yet been appointed for the Haltemprice Health Division. tt has been })ossible to provide medical inspection for all the schools during the year. This is due to the filling of the establishment for Assistant Medical Officers and the fact that the three Divisional Medical Officers, not being as yet Medical Officers of Health for all the County Districts in their respective Divisions, have been able to undertake some routine school medical work. The number of examinations carried out has increased by over d,r){)() on the previous year’s figures. The ])icture is not, however, so cheerful in other directions. It has not been possible to till the three vacancies tor Assistant Dental Officers and each school is now only being inspected on the average once in every eighteen months instead of at least once a year and preferably more often. As a result the number of children dentally inspected was less by 80'() on the 049 figures and the number of children treated was 1,50(1 less than in the previous year. Similarly, it was found im{)ossible to obtain the additional Speech Therapist who was needed. Now the original thera])ist has resigned and consequently this service, which wais becoming to be much appreciated, has had to be discontinued. The aj)])ointment of an Educational Psychologist made it })ossible to open a Cliild Guidance Clinic during the year, but as the officers of that clinic have other duties to perform they can only give two days per week to child guidance Avork and the selection of children for this form of investigation and treatment must, as a conseeiuence, be carefully made. An inii)rovement in the number of medical officers recognised for the juirpose of examining and ascertaining educationally sub-normal children has enabled more children to be specially exaniined. All medical officers carrying out this tiring and diffi(nilt work experience, however, a strong feeling of frustration because, in the great majority of cases, the result of their work is merely one of ascertainment and no special facilities, either in special schools or special classes, can be provided to give the children education appropriate to their ascertained mental capacities. There are now attend- ing ordinary schools in the County 104 children w^ho have been recommended as needing education in special classes and