[Report 1954] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council.

  • Dorset (England). County Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Premature Infants Notified, 1950-1954 Premature Live Births 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 Vumber of premature infants notified Nffimber of preiriature infants who were: 278 278 223 255 190 Born at home 80 72 56 62 39 Born in hospital or nursing home 198 206 167 193 151 'lumber of those born at home and nursed entirely at home who: (1) died during first 24 hours 5 5 2 5 2 (2) survived at end of one month 58 58 36 39 28 'lumber of those born at home who were transferred to hospital Sffimber of those born in nursing homes who: 14 5 17 16 7 (1) died during first 24 hours — ■ — — 1 (2) survived at end of one month 10 1 3 1 dreti Neglected or Ill-treated in their own Homes Arising out of a joint circular issued in 1950 by the Home Office, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education with ,rd to children neglected or ill-treated in their own homes, the county council appointed the clerk of the county council tempor- T as the designated officer for this purpose. It was decided that regular meetings of officers as suggested in the circular be not held arrangements were made for significant cases of child neglect and all cases of ill-treatment to be reported to the designated er so that appropriate joint action could be taken. Only one case has, since 1950, been dealt with under this arrangement. In practice, cases reported to the health department by health visitors, or through other channels, are referred where necessary ct to the local inspector of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for investigation and appropriate 3n. 'ection of Children from Tuberculosis In accordance with a recomrnendation by the Ministry of Health, applicants for employment in residential nurseries and Iren’s homes provided by the county council undergo a routine medical examination, including an x-ray examination of the t, before engagement. During the year under review nine initial and thirteen annual examinations were completed, none of the > showing signs of tuberculous infection. Apphcants for employment at the two residential establishments for handicapped pupils maintained by the Dorset Local cation Authority are dealt with in the same way and ten x-ray examinations of the chest were completed in 1954, none of the 5 showing signs of tuberculous infection. Nurseries The provision of day nurseries in the county is limited to one at Poole, which is maintained by the county council and is idered adequate to meet the demands for this service. No day nurseries are maintained by voluntary organisations. Admissions are confined to children between the ages of two and five years, whose mothers find it necessary b}' reason of il circumstances to obtain work in order to support the family and who are single, separated, widowed or have disabled or invahd )ands. A charge is made in respect of each child admitted, and the chairman of the appropriate sub-committee in consultation L the area medical officer is empowered to reduce the amount in case of hardship. The following order of priority w^as adopted he county council when applications for admission of children to the day nursery were being considered:— (а) Children living with only one parent or guardian in poor circumstances upon wffiose earnings their maintenance depends; (б) Children for whose daily care arrangements are desirable by reason of the necessity for the person wiio would normally have care of them in the home to be gainfully occupied in order to maintain a reasonable minimum standard of subsistence; (c) Children whose admission to a day nursery is rendered desirable for reasons of financial hardship or difficult domestic circumstances not amounting to a qualification under (a) or (6) above, or by reason of a need for disciplinary training. The new premises specially built for the purpose in the grounds of Belmont Court, Parkstone, to which the nursery was sferred from Sharrow House, Poole, in 1952, are well situated in pleasant surroundings with ample space for indoor and outdoor idties. The nursery proffides all the amenities conducive to the mental and physical well-being of the growdng child, and serves valuable centre for imparting health education to the mothers making use of the service. Istics Day Nursery 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 Number of approved places Number of children on register at 50 50 50 50 50 end of year 55 49 34 54 49 Average daily attendance during year 48 46 24 23 30-9 DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY (Section 23) [Tables 10—12) •tinistrative Arrangements The service is delegated to the Dorset County Nursing Association except in areas coinciding wth the boroughs of Poole and rniouth, where fuU-time midwives are employed to the extent of ten and three respectively. The Dorset County Nursing )ciation have in their employ fifty-four midwives, two of whom are employed in part-time duties only. All the midwives undertake bined duties, that is, midwifery and home nursing.