View report page

CO-OPERATION WITH HOSPITALS, MEDICAL SCHOOLS
AND OTHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS
It was happily possible to build up excellent relations, which Health Divisions 2 and 3
of the London County Council as well as the three boroughs had established and maintained. Thus
the Province of Natal Centre, providing maternity and child welfare and also school health services
in Holborn, had been jointly administered by the London County Council and the Institute of Child
Health, which is, of course, closely linked with the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond
Street. Although no formal agreement about the future management of the Centre had been concluded
by the end of the year, in practice close co-operation between the local health and education
authorities and the academic child health services continued as before. Similarly University.
College Hospital Medical School continued to be responsible for a child welfare clinic held on
hospital premises.
Not only were old contacts maintained, but new ones were established. Dr. R. Duncan
Dewar continued as a member of the Board of Governors of the Royal Free Hospital and Dr. Susan
M. Tracy as member of its Medical School Council. The Medical Officer of Health continued to be
a member of the group set up by the Institute of Child Health to plan the new Coram Fields
Assessment Centre. He became a co-opted member of the University College Hospital Medical
School Council and was also invited to join the Heads of Departments Committee of the Royal
Free Hospital Medical School.
Teaching links served to consolidate co-operation. Members of the Department took part
in theoretical and practical teaching of undergraduate and post-graduate medical students and of
nurses from the institutions which have already been named as well as from others in the Borough
such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Such teaching is essential not only
in order to provide information on the local authority health and social services, but also in order
to widen the students' knowledge of the community and its problems, and of the way in which local
democracy works. There was hardly a Council or Health Committee meeting which was not attended
by a group of students, and we are particularly indebted to His Worship the Mayor, the Chairman of
the Health Committee and many other members of the Council for the warm personal welcome which
they extend to their guests on these occasions.
The important decision was also taken to appoint a Consultant Psychiatrist who would
have clinical responsibilities at University College Hospital and the Friem Hospital (catchment
hospital for psychiatric patients from St. Pancras and soon to include the remainder of Camden)
and would also act as Adviser in Mental Health to Camden's Medical Officer of Health.
Similarly, discussions were held with the Dean of the Royal Free Hospital Medical
School on the possibility of making a joint appointment of Lecturer and Senior Assistant Medical
Officer.
A monthly audiology session was started on 7 May 1965 for Camden children by Mr.
Leonard Kingdom, Consultant Surgeon, The Royal Ear Hospital, University College Hospital.
The three chest clinics in the Borough continued to be administered jointly with the
hospital authorities which had in the past been responsible for them together with the Health
Department of the London County Council.
6