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MINISTRY OF HEALTH CIRCULAR 5/66
In February 1966 the Minister of Health issued a Circular (5/66) to local authorities urging
them to review their policy with regard to family planning in the light of the valuable contribution
which a good service could make to the medical and social wellbeing of families and to arrange for
free advice and treatment for patients already covered by the Ministry Circulars of 1931 and 1934,
i.e. those to whom pregnancy would be detrimental to health. The Minister stressed the importance
of general education in family planning and the desirability of encouraging the work of the Family
Planning Association and other voluntary organisations. For Camden, which was already well advanced
with a programme of development, the main effect was the cancellation of charges for supplies
and requisites.
VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS
Revised per capita scales were introduced for Camden patients advised on medical grounds
at the Family Planning Association clinics and at the Marie Stopes Memorial Foundation clinics.
As might be expected from the growth in the Borough's own service, referrals to those Associations
from our Centres were low and were mainly for fitment of the intra-uterine contraceptive device. The
domiciliary scheme run under the aegis of the Marie Stopes Memorial Foundation also had few referrals
from the Camden area.

CERVICAL CYTOLOGY - UTERINE CARCINOMA
In March 1966 the Health Committee agreed that the Ministry of Health should be asked to
approve, under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act 1946, the proposal that the Council
should provide a service for the collection of cervical smears for diagnostic investigation by hospital
authorities. In anticipation of formal approval by the Ministry a limited cervical cytology service
was provided in conjunction with the Council's family planning clinics. Women attending theCouncil's
family planning clinics had cervical smears taken as a matter of routine. In November 1966 the first
ad hoc cervical cytology session was opened at West End Lane Maternity and Child Welfare Centre.
This service is available to all women over the age of 25 who live or work in the Borough. The takeup
of the service is so far disappointing, especially by those whom statistics have shown to be of
greatest risk - the mothers of sizeable families from the lower income groups.
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