[Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, North Riding of Yorkshire County Council.

  • North Riding of Yorkshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1968
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, North Riding of Yorkshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (d) Convalescent Home Accommodation Convalescent accommodation was offered to 48 individuals in 1968. Accommodation is found for adults and children of both sexes and is normally limited to a maximum stay of 4 weeks. As this service is a type of holiday-rest service for those who are “run¬ down,” care has to be exercised to guard against persons using it as a means of obtaining a holiday for little or no cost. CHIROPODY SERVICE In 1961 the County Council decided to provide a chiropody treatment service which started early in 1962. Prior to that date chiropody treatment was available in certain areas through voluntary organisations without financial assistance from the County Council. The scheme provided a service for (a) Persons aged 65 years and over, (/;) The physically handicapped, (c) The mentally disordered, (d) Expectant mothers From November, 1964 the scheme was amended to include women aged 60 and over. Those in the approved categories are referred by a registered medical practitioner or a County Council district nurse, midwife, health visitor or school nurse. The standard charge made to patients is 2/- for each treatment ; persons whose sole income is derived from one of the state pensions or an allowance from the Ministry of Social Security are not required to pay anything. Treatment is largely centred on fixed clinics, although urgent cases who are unable to travel by public transport are provided with treatment at home or transported to a fixed centre in an ambulance or a hospital car. The expansion of the scheme since its inception has been considerable and the service will continue to expand when further qualified chiropodists become available. During 1968 wholetime or part-time chiropodists gave 23,121 treatments to patients at 40 centres ; the same chiropodists also gave 4,988 domiciliary treatments. Chiropodists employed by voluntary associations gave 5,408 treatments in addition to 322 domiciliary treatments. The figures for 1962 were 2,238 treatments at 13 centres and 269 domiciliary treatments by wholetime and part-time chiropodists and 5,903 treatments and 96 domiciliary treatments by chiropodists employed by voluntary associations. The totals of treatments given since 1962 are summarised below Year Treatments given 1962 . . . . 8,506 1963 .. .. 10,840 1964 .. .. 14,576 1965 .. .. 18,604 1966 .. .. 23,468 1967 .. .. 31,164 1968 .. .. 33,839 As the 1968 figures refer only to the reduced North Riding they do not fully reflect the growth in the service. CERVICAL CYTOLOGY In January, 1966, a cervical cytology screening service started for the early detection of cancer of the cervix. The object of the scheme is that all women at risk can be offered an appointment for a routine examination with the aim of forestalling invasive cervical cancer. Initially, invitations were limited to women in the 30—65 age range but any woman outside this range who asked for an appointment was given one. From 1967 all women irrespective of age have been offered appointments.