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SURVEY OF HEALTH SERVICES.
Municipal Infant Welfare Centre Premises.
The three buildings used as Infant Welfare Centres by the
Council are Church premises which are not ideally planned or
constructed for the purpose.
The deficiencies of these premises have been realised for many
years and efforts have been made to obtain the use of more suitable
premises in the case of two of these Centres, but without success.
The Ministry of Health in their observations to this Council,
after consideration of the report made by one of the Medical Officers
of the Ministry following the recent survey of the Public Health
Services of the Council, referred to the Municipal Infant Welfare
Centre premises at 140, Camberwell Road, as follows:-
"It is suggested that advantage should be taken of any
favourable opportunity for securing better premises for the
work at present carried on at 140, Camberwell Road."
During the year under review the Dulwich College Mission
Authorities were approached with a view of ascertaining whether
in the event of their undertaking the building of club premises on a
site belonging to the College Authorities in Comber Grove, they
would be prepared to let part of such premises to this Council
for Maternity and Infant Welfare purposes.
Unfortunately there appears to be no prospect at present of
rebuilding operations on this site, but negotiations are still proceeding.
Should these break down, however, it would seem that
as there are no available alternative premises in this district which
could be adapted for use as an Infant Welfare Centre, the only
remaining way of meeting the suggestion of the Ministry of
for the transfer of the work to more suitable premises would be for
the Council to consider the question of purchasing a suitable site,
the demolition if necessary of any building thereon, and the erection
of an up-to-date Infant Welfare Centre.
Assistant Medical Officer for Maternity and Child Welfare.
The Ministry of Health also referred for consideration by the
Council the question of the detailed supervision of the Maternity
and Child Welfare work of the Borough, and stated that the more
direct responsibility of the Council in regard to the work of the
voluntary associations since the Local Government Act 1929,
came into operation emphasises the need for the appointment of an
Assistant Medical Officer to undertake such supervision under
the direction of the Medical Officer of Health.
This matter was referred by the Council to the Maternity an
Child Welfare Committee who instructed me to furnish a report
for their consideration. In this report I stated that in my opinion