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2
THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA
Telephone: Health Department,
01-937 5464 25A Kensington Square,
London
W8 5HW
September, 1973.
To: The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with mixed feelings of pleasure and regret that I submit a report on the work of
the Health Department and the health of Kensington and Chelsea for 1972. This is the
penultimate year of the Council's Health Department and the borough can look back with
pride on achievements and triumphs. The Council have built securely in the past and their
efforts will bear good fruit for many years to come.
The year has seen many changes overshadowed by the uncertainties generated by the
plan to reorganise the National Health Services. The entire country is expected to see a
much needed rationalisation of hospital and community services which in the past has been
achieved by the painstaking hard work of Borough Councillors, responsive and sensitive to
the needs and aspirations of their constituents.
During the year, the management structure of the Council's nursing services received
continuous attention from within this department and from the Management Services
Officer. At the same time, negotiations took place with the Kensington District Nursing
Association for a direct service to be provided by the Council. A decision on the future of
this service was crucial to any consideration of a management structure in the Council's own
nursing services. The successful result of numerous meetings and discussions has been the
adoption of the Mayston management structure in keeping with the hospital services as well
as the careful integration of the Kensington District Nurses within the Council's Health
Department and nursing services.
1972 also saw the introduction of a new system of job evaluation, and over a period
of eight months, job evaluation of 149 posts throughout the Health Department was
conducted. A critical assessment was made of the level of duties and responsibilities of each
post in relation to salary and grade. With one exception all staff retained their grades and 33
were advanced.
In the last quarter of 1972, the Kensington Students' Centre was used as a transit
camp for Uganda-Asian refugees. Voluntary organisation workers, social workers, health
visitors, public health inspectors and doctors co-operated magnificently to provide an
efficient and humane service to these distressed people. About 2,000 refugees were cared for
in the camp.
Throughout the year a never-ending stream of telephone calls and letters flooded the
department because of the lack of proper garbage collection and disposal due to manpower
difficulties outside the responsibility of this department. Irate and frustrated residents and
businessmen vehemently directed attention to these ever-present 'health hazards'. Garbage
collection is an essential service which must be dealt with efficiently to prevent the
deterioration of health throughout the borough.
Except for the above qualifying paragraph, the health of the borough has been
exceedingly satisfactory, and the study of statistics in this report shows that over the years
the extent of services rendered continues to maintain the same degree of efficiency.