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HEALTH EDUCATION
Health education is an important activity and forms an integral
part of the National Health Service.
For many years the Council have made an annual grant to the
Central Council for Health Education, which is the body recognised by
the Minister of Health as the medium through which health education
material is distributed throughout England and Wales. For the year
1963/64 the Council made a grant of £23. 0s. 0d. Posters, leaflets
and other material dealing with a variety of health topics for display
and distribution were obtained from the Central Council.
The Council approved the publication of a "Health and Social
Services" Handbook for the use of official and voluntary bodies and
members of the general public in Kensington. When the handbooks were
distributed, an advisory leaflet giving information of the services to
old people and a list of addresses of government departments, voluntary
organisations, etc. in the borough, were included with each book.
Copies of the handbook were sent to all members of the
Council, to local Members of Parliament and the London County Council,
hospitals, general practitioners, dentists, chemists, clergy, child
welfare centres, day nurseries, old people's clubs, etc. Ratepayers
applying at the Town Hall (information Office), the Public Health
Department or the Citizens' Advice Bureau were also supplied with a
free copy.
Smoking and Health
For some years before the publication in 1962 of the Royal
College of Physicians Report on "Smoking and Health," posters and
leaflets relating to lung cancer and cigarette smoking had been distributed
in the borough.
Following receipt of Ministry of Health Circular 6/62, the
Council decided that further steps should be taken to give publicity
to the relationship between smoking and chest diseases.
A local publicity campaign was undertaken in 1963, coinciding
with action taken in the schools and youth clubs by the London
County Council, who are the local health and education authority.
The following action was taken by this Council:-
(a) Posters were displayed at various sites throughout
the borough and in the Council's branch libraries,
where leaflets were also distributed;
(b) display stands with posters and stocked with leaflets,
were placed in the Town Hall, the Central Library
(main entrance and Children's Library entrance) and in
the Public Health Department;
(c) printed notices (size 10" x 8") requesting customers
not to smoke were sent to appropriate food premises
for display;
(d) posters and leaflets were sent to all the various clubs,
voluntary organisations and general practitioners, and
(e) ten thousand bookmarks were placed in the libraries.