[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow].

  • Harrow (London, England). London Borough.
Date:
[1961]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    28 Welfare Committee of a kitchen and restaurant for old people's meals at each of the North Harrow and Belmont Assembly Halls, including the provision of meals for service to infirm old people through the W.V.S. Meals-on-Wheels service. A further grant of £230 towards running, maintenance and garaging of the mobile canteen presented by the Greater Harrow District Nursing Association Trust was made. Chiropody. The Ministry authorised Local Health Authorities to provide a chiropody service, concentrating in the first place on certain priority classes which include the aged. The Middlesex County Council submitted to the Ministry proposals under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946 to provide as soon as possible directly for the extension of the existing chiropody service with priority in the early stages to the elderly, physically handicapped and expectant mother; and as an interim measure, pending such direct provision, will consider making arrangements for the provision of such services through suitable voluntary organisations. Under this scheme, chiropody treatment is provided at a standard charge of eight shillings, this being reduced to four shillings for old age pensioners except that those in receipt of supplementary pensions and certain cases recommended by the National Assistance Board are treated free of charge. Because of this, the Harrow Old People's Welfare Committee no longer receive a grant from the Borough Council in respect of the provision, in co-operation with the Harrow Division of the British Red Cross Society, of a chiropody service for needy old people in the Borough. Towards the end of the year, a start was made on the arrangements by which treatment was made available at various of the County Council's clinics by a chiropodist on the staff of the County Council. Laundry. For some years the Harrow Council has used its very restricted powers under Section 84 of the Public Health Act which enables authorities to arrange for articles to be cleansed in certain circumstances. The Hendon Group Hospital Management Committee agreed to arrange for the actual work of treating the articles of clothing and bedding to be done if the District Council would meet the cost. The present charge is 5¾d. per article. At the beginning of last year, eleven persons were being helped. During the year there were requests to help a further fourteen cases. Because of death or removal from the district, the number provided with help at the end of the year was ten. A number of local launderettes operate a special service to old age pensioners at reduced charges. In addition to the Belmont and Harrow Weald launderettes which previously helped in this way, assistance can now be given to those in the Honeypot Lane, Hatch End and Pinner areas. Companionship. Many of the problems of the elderly occur because they have lost touch with others. It is in providing this companionship that the luncheon clubs, the Evergreen Clubs, the Darby and Joan clubs and the Over-sixty Clubs are of such inestimable benefit. Even thoug