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284
SECTION VI
MISCELLANEOUS
HEALTH EDUCATION SERVICE
The main functions of the Health Education Service are:—
1. To augment the numbers of health educators operating
in the Borough.
2. To provide facilities and support services for those
health educators.
3. To keep the level and quality of health education taking
place constantly under review and to formulate and
carry out activities designed to fill any gaps, notably in
the areas of mass public education and groups not
reached by formalised processes
In many cases the above functions become interwoven and
difficult to separate in a rational manner for the purposes of a
review of the Service's activities during the year. This Report,
therefore, highlights some of the more notable events of 1971.
It should be remembered, however, that a high level of day-to-day
service is maintained throughout the year in providing support
services for individuals, groups or institutions, as well as continuing
research to maintain sophistication of approach and ideas
and, above all, information communication and development of
educational trends and aids. The numbers of topics to be handled
under the umbrella title of "health eduoation" are such that
priorities have to be determined as to allocation of time and resources
with the added proviso that this timetable requires sufficient
flexibility to allow for the unexpected, i.e. an outbreak of
infection; a new breakthrough in preventive medicine or a radical
re-appreciation of a hitherto accepted method of healthy activity.
The alphabetical list of topics appended to this Report will give
some indication of the variety handled.
HEALTH EDUCATION OF THE COMMUNITY
(a) LOCAL ORGANISATIONS
Each year all local organisations in the Borough (about 400)
are circulated with details of the programmes of health education
provided free of charge. This has always been a popular service
'and resulted in 171 requests for film shows, talks, or the two
combined (1970—169). Topics selected ranged over the whole
field.