[Report 1944] / Medical Officer of Health, Barrow-in-Furness County Borough.

  • Barrow-in-Furness (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1944
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1944] / Medical Officer of Health, Barrow-in-Furness County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    AMBULANCE SERVICE. The town Ambulance Service is being run by the Health Committee pending a decision by the Government regarding the control of the Fire Brigade after the War. During the year the full-time Civil Defence per- sonnel was drastically cut down, but five male Civil Defence Ambulance drivers were retained for driving the town Ambulances. The Ambulance attendants had to be recruited and paid by the Health Committee, to take the place of the Civil Defence Rescue men. A very efficient service has been run with Civil Defence personnel, but it is to be a big problem to maintain this service now owing to lack of man-power and the high cost of the service to the rates. The number of cases transported during the year was as follows :— Accidents 537 Removals (Illness) 1516 Out of town journeys 75 Total 2128 GOVERNMENT'S EVACUATION SCHEME. In the summer of 1944 the Government arranged a new evacuation of women and children from the South. Two special trains with 679 and 720 evacuees arrived in Barrow, and arrangements had to be made for their reception in four Rest Centres where they were housed, fed and medically examined prior to being billeted in the town. The first train consisted of 679 unaccompanied school children, and after being medically examined they were billeted in the adjacent Ulverston and Dalton Urban and Rural Districts. The second train of 720 persons were billeted in Barrow. The party con- sisted of the following :— Under Over 5 years. 5 years. Accompanied children 199 129 Unaccompanied children .... 223 Adults 169 Previously Barrow had been an evacuation area, but now became a reception area, and the problems that had to be faced were different. Certain , cases had to be removed to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, General Hospital and Maternity Hospital. Treatment of Scabies was carried out at the School Clinic, and special arrangements were made for the feeding and care of babies. BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE. The Blood Bank at the North Lonsdale Hospital has continued to function during the year, but the additional centre at one of the First Aid Posts ceased to function owing to the reduction in the Civil Defence estab- lishments. The Volunteer Car Pool took over the work of transporting patients and blood to the High Carley E.M.S. Laboratory,