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126
So far as the duties of the Workshop Inspector are concerned
it is sufficiently evident, from the above tabulated statement, that
the re-arrangement of the work has not proved satisfactory. As
regards the other duties of the Female Workshop Inspector, part has
been distributed amongst the District Inspectors and part given to
the Health Visitor and Female Sanitary Inspector. That the change
has not reacted to the advantage of the efficient discharge of the
latter officer's duties is also apparent. The Female Sanitary
Inspector (Miss Moss) devotes a considerable portion of her time to
Health Visitor's work, though appointed as a Female Sanitary
Inspector. She supervises the milk depot work under the direction
of the Medical Officer of Health. This important.duty absorbs a
very large amount of her time, and, in addition to other duties, she
now has to do some of the work formerly carried out by the Female
Workshop Inspector. The same drawback has occurred in the case
of the Health Visitor (Miss Peacock). This officer was appointed to
carry out duties under the Notification of Births Act. To efficiently
discharge this important duty would alone necessitate the whole of
her time, but, unfortunately, it has been found necessary to entrust
to her other equally important work, such as the visitation at their
homes and supervision of cases notified under the Tuberculosis
Regulations. She has had, in addition, to undertake part of the
work formerly carried out by the Female Workshop Inspector, viz.,
enquiries into infantile deaths, cases of puerperal fever notified, and,
more recently, the inclusion of Ophthalmia Neonatorum among the
list of notifiable infectious diseases has further added to her duties.
In consequence it has not been possible for her to carry out efficiently
the duties for which she was originally appointed, and, having regard
to the importance of this work, the fact is to be regretted. Thus,
during 1911, there were registered, belonging to the Borough of
Battersea, 4,381 births. Of these, 2,888 were notified under the
provisions of the Notification of Births Act, 1907. The Female
Sanitary Inspector and the Health Visitor between them were only
able to visit 1,025, i.e., 35.4 per cent, of the notified births, and 23
per cent, of the total births registered. If the Act is to be efficiently
administered the services of at least one whole-time officer
are necessary.
I have endeavoured to show, therefore, for the consideration of
the Committee, that it is not to the interest of the public health of
Battersea that any decrease in the Sanitary Staff should take place.
Rather is an addition to that staff, by the appointment of one or two
Health Visitors, indicated. The number of additional duties of a
highly important character brought about by recent legislation, if
such duties are to be efficiently discharged, will entail the keeping
of the sanitary staff up to the level of modern requirements, more
especially if the reputation for sanitary administration which the
Borough has, especially within recent years, enjoyed is to be