[Report 1950] / School Medical Officer of Health, Isle of Man.

  • Isle of Man. Council.
Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1950] / School Medical Officer of Health, Isle of Man. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/28 (page 5)
    receive education according to their limited ability and the lower grades such training as they are capable of absorbing. The special schools on the Mainland are, without exception, full and in many cases have long waiting lists, so that serious consideration will have to be given in the very near future to the question of providing accommodation on the Island for these handicapped children. It is very satisfactory to be able to report that the Dental Depart- ment is up to full establishment—there being four full-time Dental Officers one of these having been appointed in a temporary capacity for six months. The need for a fourth full-time permanent Dental Officer will be considered during 1951 when it has been possible to ascertain the effect the National Health Act Amendment, with its special provisions for children, will have on the Service. When one considers the complete breakdown of the School Dental Service on the Mainland the Authority is to be congratulated on having been able to maintain such an efficient service at full strength. All the specialist services have continued to function satisfactorily. The bulk of the refractions has, in the past been undertaken by the School Medical Officer as part of his normal duties. Similarly, the Orthopaedic Scheme and the arrangements existing for the specialist treatment of Ear, Nose and Throat conditions, have continued to work satisfactorily. As the Authority is committed under the Education Act, 1949, to make arrangements for securing provision of free medical treatment for children from the age of two years, it is to be hoped that the system existing at present will continue. Under this scheme appointments are made and sessions arranged for the school children direct with the specialists and the School Medical Officer is always present. These examinations are solely for children and there is virtually no waiting list. They are thus assured of a priority service which might be problematical if other arrange- ments were made. The family doctors in these cases are notified of the opinion of the consultant and the system has always worked very well in the past. The fact that the School Clinics continue to fulfil a useful purpose is shown by the fact that during 1950, the number of children attending for treatment has increased by a third on 1949. SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION AND HYGIENE. During the year a number of schools were re-decorated, either inter- nally or externally, and electrical installations were made at Marown and Dhoor Schools. In addition, the work of renewing the lavatories at Albert Road School, which had been commenced in the summer of 1949, was completed, and water borne sanitation facilities were installed at the Dhoor School. New boilers were installed at the Victoria Road School, Castletown, and at the Ramsey Grammar School, and the usual periodical inspection of all heating apparatus was continued. A survey of fire fighting facilities in schools was completed during the year, and the additional apparatus required was installed.