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133
EMERGENCY CALL SERVICE.
This service, covering general public health emergencies, mental
health, domiciliary midwifery and welfare and children's services, has
continued to provide the necessary twenty-four-hour, seven days a week,
cover for the borough.
The scheme is shared between the City of Westminster and this
Council, and the cost of running the service is divided equally between
the two Councils. It is staffed by four night-duty officers based at
the Westminster City Hall, who deal with all calls received, and call
into action the appropriate emergency service during periods when the
offices are closed, i.e., at night, during week-ends and public holidays.
During 1966, there were 1,549 calls for this Council's services,
necessitating the initiation of emergency action by the night-duty
officer, of which the highest number was received in February and the
lowest in December.
In addition, 932 calls were received which only required subsequent
routine attention.
HEALTH EDUCATION.
During 1966, the Council maintained links with the Royal Society for
the Prevention of Accidents, the Central Council for Health Education,
the National Association for Mental Health and the National Association
for Maternal and Child Welfare. Considerable use is made of publicity
and information material produced by these organisations.
The panel of senior officers, under the Chairmanship of the Deputy
Medical Officer of Health, continued to be responsible for devising
methods of carrying out the Council's health education policy. The
co-operation of other bodies outside the Council's service-for example,
the Inner London Education Authority and the London Fire Brigade-has
been readily available.
The working team of health visitors has continued to undertake
detailed planning and preparation of current projects in which
assistance from other staff, notably the public health inspectors, has
been readily available.
It is appropriate at this point to express my appreciation of the
help so generously given by the local newspapers. They have invariably
been ready to co-operate by providing space for information and advice
as will be seen from references in the following pages.
Health education activities fall into two main categories. Firstly,
those carried out from day-to-day, principally by health visitors,
involving personal contact in the main with expectant mothers, mothers
of young children and elderly persons, both at clinic sessions, by home
visiting and by talks, demonstrations at mothers' clubs, etc. Secondly,
special projects involving a considerable amount of organisation and
planning are also arranged on a more detailed basis dealing with
particular themes. These activities, of course, are not mutually
exclusive and when appropriate the help and, as indicated above, the
co-operation of a very wide cross-section of staff is enlisted.
In January, an appropriately phased programme was prepared for
the whole year. The intention was to limit this programme to a
relatively small number of major subjects and thus give additional
impetus to day-to-day efforts and to focus public attention on important