[Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Surrey County Council.

  • Surrey (England). County Council.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Surrey County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/80 (page 17)
    50 (b) Recuperative Holidays. The County Council’s Recuperative Holidays Scheme deals with patients who are in poor health and require a recuperative holiday but do not require organised medical or nursing care. These may be accepted on the appropriate medical recommendation for recuperative holidays for a maximum period of three weeks extendible to four weeks in exceptional circumstances, and as regards those groups towards whom the Council have special responsibilities (e.g., tuberculosis, cases of mental illness, mental defectives) for a maximum period of three months extendible only in exceptional cases. All patients, except those suffering from tuberculosis, sent to “ holiday homes ” under the scheme are required to pay a standard charge of £2 Os. Od. per week towards their maintenance ; if they claim to be unable to do so they are required to submit a statement of their financial circumstances, on which the amount they will be asked to pay is assessed. Mothers and young children are dealt with under Section 22 of the National Health Service Act and school children under the Education Act. Particulars of the cases dealt with during the year ended 31st December, 1957, are as follows :— General Hospital In-Patients. Hospital Out-Patients. Practitioners’ Cases. Total Number of patients sent to Holiday Homes Cost (before deduction of contributions by 134 103 91 328 patients) £1,254 £1,034 £855 £3,143 Length of stay : 1 week . 15 2 8 25 2 weeks 99 82 68 249 3 weeks 18 18 14 50 4 weeks 2 — 1 3 over 4 weeks — 1 — 1 (c) Nursing Equipment. (i) Loans. Under the Agreements concluded with the British Red Cross Society and the St. John Ambulance Brigade these Organisations have continued to maintain Medical Loan Depots throughout the County from which nursing equipment can be borrowed for a maximum period of six months. All loans are free of charge but a deposit, which is returnable, is required. The number of Depots maintained at the end of the year was 55. The extent of the loans of nursing equipment during the year ended 31st December, 1957, was as follows :— Article Ah- beds „ bellows ... „ rings Bed rests „ pans „ tables Invalid chairs Commodes No. of Loans. Article. No. of Loans. 65 Bed cradles ... 367 53 Crutches 191 1,217 Douche cans... 15 993 Feeding cups 156 2,013 Inhalers 16 151 Mackintosh sheets ... ... 1,893 1,022 Steam kettles 22 511 Urinals 668 (ii) Purchase. In cases where a patient needs an article of nursing equipment permanently, the County Council have agreed to supply it provided an undertaking is given to repay the full cost, which in the case of the more expensive articles may be made by instalments. In necessitous cases the article is provided and the patient is assessed by the County Treasurer as to the amount, if any, required to be con¬ tributed. (d) Venereal Diseases. The clinics at Guildford, Woking, Redhill, Carshalton and Kingston were continued during the year by the respective Hospital Management Committees but at Woking sessions for females were discontinued with effect from the 31st October, 1957. The duty of persuading women defaulters to resume attendance and of securing the attendance of persons exposed to infection continued to be exercised by the Council’s Special Services Visitor. Information as to Surrey residents having been treated at Clinics is obtained from the annual return which is made by the Medical Officer of the Clinic to the Ministry of Health, copies of which the Medical Officer is required to send to the Medical Officer of Health of each County and County Borough in which patients treated at the Clinic reside. The following summarises the information received :—