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13
ordinated service. The other social services for which this Department
is responsible will be planned with the closest co-ordination
and partnership with the health services in mind. Until the feasibility
exercise has been completed it would be premature to prejudge
the conclusions of the Working Party. Formidable
difficulties, not least financial, have to be overcome, but undoubtedly
health centres in one form or another will be the basis of medical
and family care in this area, and the prospect of the hospital
services emerging from their exclusive cloisters to join in partnership
with the family doctors and the local authority community
services is an event of some moment.
The purposes of this preface are to delineate the main streams of
development and achievement in the past year. A department of
this size is dependent on help from many sources and I am mindful
of my indebtedness to friends and colleagues. I have received much
kindness and consideration from Alderman Chrisp and Councillor
Malone, Chairmen of the Health and Welfare Committees
respectively. I must also thank the members of these Committees
for their support, for in the last analysis it is the elected members
who direct the broad policies of a department. I trust that they
will feel that their confidence has not been misplaced.
In conclusion, I wish to thank all my senior colleagues for their
loyalty and their interest, but in this year of reorganisation of the
social work of the Department I am under a particular obligation
to Mr. B. A. Freeman, the newly appointed co-ordinator of
Community Care and Chief Mental Health Officer. His exertions,
his shrewd assessment of need and his unwavering allegiance to
the interests of the Department and the community have contributed
largely to the early success of the new Community Care Branch.
As usual, I am most grateful to my Deputy, Dr. M. E. Watts, and
Mr. Longhurst, the Chief Administrative Officer, for all their efforts,
both in respect of their positive contributions to the advancement
of the Department's affairs and for their ready acceptance of a
disproportionate share of the burden.
Your obedient Servant,
J. Kerr Brown,
Medical Officer of Health.