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45
Miscellaneous Matters.
Conferences.
The Council were officially represented at the undermentioned
Conferences dealing with matters within the purview of the Public
Health Department.
Conference.
Royal Society of Health,
Blackpool — 24th to 27th
April.
Sanitary Inspectors' Association,
Bournemouth — 18th
to 21st September.
National Smoke Abatement
Society, Southport — 3rd
to 5th October.
Delegates.
Ald. Miss E. A. Coles, J.P., and
the Medical Officer of Health.
Cllr. Miss E. A. Coles, J.P., and
Mr. G. W. P. Weeks, Chief
Public Health Inspector.
Cllr. C. E. Lang and Mr. I. R.
Lewis, Public Health Inspector.
Aged and Infirm Persons.
Under Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, the Council
are empowered to apply to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction for an
Order for the to a hospital or other suitable place of any person
who is aged or infirm or suffering from some grave chronic disease,
and is living under insanitary conditions. This power is exercisable
on the certificate of the Medical Officer of Health.
Seven clear days' notice of the intention of making an application
to the Court must be given to the person concerned, or to some
person in charge of him. The Order remains operative for a period
of three months, but the Court may, on application by the Council,
extend it for such further periods, not exceeding three months each, as
are concidered necessary.
The procedure under Section 47, as outlined above, was amended
by the National Assistance (Amendment) Act, 1951, which came into
operation on the 1st September, 1951, for the purpose of enabling very
urgent cases to be dealt with more expeditiously. This new Act provides
that the Court, or a single Justice of the Peace, may, on the certificates
of the Medical Officer of Health and another registered medical practi-
tioner, make and Order without formal notice of the application having
been given to the person concerned or to the hospital authority, subject,
in the case of the latter, to evidence being produced of their willingness
to admit the person. The length of time a person may be detained
under such an Order is limited to three weeks, instead of three months,
and any application for an extension of this period must be made in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Section 47. An application
under the new Act may be made by the Medical Officer of Health
without special authority from the Health Committee in each individual
case, provided a general authority to act is given. Such general authority
has been given by the Council to the Medical Officer of Health and his
Deputy.
One such Order was obtained during the year, relating to an
elderly male, who was living in insanitary and dangerous circumstances,
and was not receiving proper care and attention. Every effort was
made to help him, but he refused all assistance.