[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Monmouthshire County Council.

  • Monmouthshire County Council
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Monmouthshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    aged is a similar problem, as tlie aged person who is allowed a Domestic Help is likely to remain a liability for a considerable time. Further, it has been found that whereas in the past members of families and also neigh- t^ours had rendered assistance of their own accord, this was no longer under- taken when Domestic Help could be obtained on application. Only 19 persons more than last year took advantage of this Service during confinement, whereas an additional 260 chronic sick and others were granted Domestic Help. In most cases Domestic Help is provided free to chronic sick and aged persons, but this does not apply to the average maternity case. Details of numbers of Domestic Helps supplied are to be found on page 56. MEDICAL COMFORTS APPLIANCES SCHEME. This Authority employs a Medical Appliances Officer, and the organis- Jtion of the Medical Comforts Appliances Scheme is in his hands. The ( ouncil at the end of 1953 had a central depot of equipment and 61 local depots. Most of the Medical Comforts Depots are housed in premises belonging to the St. John Ambulance Brigade or the British Red Cross Society. The Monmouthshire County Council provided the medical appliances and the members of the above organisations undertook the issue of these comforts where necessary and also saw to the return of the articles to their depots when they were no longer required by the patients. For these services the Mon- mouthshire County Council paid a small sum to each depot as rental, according to the size of the depot. Provision of the Service appeared to be equal to all demands, and consider- able economy of equipment was effected by arrangements made centrally for transfer of appliances from one depot to another as unusual demands occurred in various areas. Articles supplied under this scheme, included air-beds, air-rings, bed- pans, bed-rests, bed-tables, bed-cradles, crutches, feeding-cups, invalid folding chairs, mackintosh sheets, spinal carriages, and urinals, etc., and were issued and re-issued on receipt of a medical certificate, which must be renewed if the illness is prolonged. Provision was also made to supply Nursing equipment for Paiaplegics. These patients will have had many months, often several years, of highly specialised medical and nursing treatment before their
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