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2
The liaison existing between the medical and lay staff of
the London County Council Divisional Offices and ourselves has
continued on a very happy and friendly basis, as has our relationship
with the Chest Clinic and its staff.
The Minister of Health, in his directions on Annual Reports
of Medical Officers of Health for 1953, asks for reference to any
progress made towards closer integration with the general
medical services provided by general practitioners and hospitals.
During the year the Council planned and prepared to launch
on 1st January, 1954, a Health Enquiry Bureau. It was intended
that this Bureau would publish annually a Guide to all the local
health services, including a comprehensive reference to local
hospitals and doctors. Thus the Bureau would become, as it
were, a focal point where all the services converged and where
the public could obtain information about any of them. No
additional staff was appointed to run the project and 5,000 copies
of the Guide were printed at a cost of £150. Time will show
whether the idea was a good one, but at the time of writing,
all indications are more than favourable. The B.B.C. broadcast
the opening of the Bureau on January 1st, 1954, and the National
and local Press reported favourably on the event. In my next
Annual Report I hope to be able to give full details of our first
year's experience of the experiment.
I regret that it has not been possible to maintain the sanitary
inspector services at their full establishment. The dearth of
adequate numbers of inspectors to make up the required complement
in much of London has reduced us here to scratch along
in a manner satisfactory to no one.
As yet no dividends have accrued from the labours of the
Working Party that dealt with training and recruitment of
Sanitary Inspectors, but one feels that little improvement in our
local position can be expected until the Working Party's findings
bring forth larger numbers of well-trained young men available
for employment.
Once more I wish to thank the members of the Council and,
in particular, the Public Health Committee, for the help,
encouragement and courtesy I have at all times received, and to
express my appreciation and thanks to all the members of the
public health staff for their ever ready co-operation, hard work
and helpful assistance.
I am, Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
F. M. DAY,
Medical Officer of Health.