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Personal Health Service
In England and Wales the personal health services of the local health authorities i.e. the
Councils of Counties and County Boroughs, are provided under Sections 21 to 29 of the National
Health Service Act, 1946. A similar position obtains in the case of the London Borough Councils
with the exception that Section 27, which deals with the provision of an ambulance service, is
administered as one service throughout Greater London by the Greater London Council.
Co-ordination and Co-operation of Services
Co-ordination and co-operation of the local health authority's services with the hospital
and family doctor services were furthered in several ways. There was consultation between the
three services at Maternity Liaison and General Practitioner Liaison Committees. During the year
general practitioners were invited to meetings on paediatrics and geriatrics at which consultants
in the particular subjects were present; while through the courtesy of hospital consultants, lectures
and discussions were arranged for full-time and sessional local authority medical officers.
Medical students from one teaching hospital were received for instruction by clinic medical
officers in the school health and personal health services. Over 900 visits to Borough establishments
were also arranged for student nurses and students from other disciplines as part of their
training; and the Principal Nursing Officer and her Deputy continued to give lectures at all nurse
training schools in the area. The ways in which domiciliary staff co-operate with the other two
branches of the health service are described in the following paragraphs on particular services.
Health Centres (National Health Service Act, 1946 - Section 21).
The National Health Service Act, 1946, made it a duty which for various reasons has
not been insisted upon, for every local health authority to provide, equip, and maintain to the
satisfaction of the Minister premises which shall be called "Health Centres" at which facilities
shall be available for all or any of the following purposes:-
general medical, dental or pharmaceutical services, services of the local health authority,
services of specialists and health education, and "A Local Health Authority shall to the satisfaction
of the Minister provide staff for any Health Centre provided by them".
In July, 1965, the Ministry of Health asked for information on the Council's long-term
plans for the development of the Health and Welfare Services. The period for which information
was required was the 10 years from 1st April, 1966, to 31st March, 1976; and in addition information
in the year (1965/66) was requested. It was therefore essential to forecast the demands and
needs of the various services to decide how they could best be met in the future.
It was felt that the needs of the Borough would best be served by creating Health Centres
for the practice of preventive medicine and for the promotion of the mental and physical health of
the family. These Centres would provide all or most of the following:-
Accommodation for General Practitioners
Maternity and Child Welfare facilities
School Treatment Centre
Information/Advice Centre
Additional special clinics as necessary, e.g. Geriatric/Chiropody
There are obvious advantages to both public and staff in having these services in one
building; and it is interesting to note that having reached this decision independently at an
early stage the London Borough of Wandsworth has, through the London Boroughs Committee,
urged other Boroughs to create Health Centres.
The London Borough of Hammersmith' was fortunate in inheriting from the Metropolitan
Borough of Hammersmith a scheme for the provision of group practice premises in association
with housing redevelopment. Advantage was taken of the Council's new powers as a local health
authority to adapt the scheme in consultation with the Ministry of Health, the Inner London
Executive Council, the Local Medical Committee and local general practitioners, as a Health
Centre in keeping with the modern trend for the joint use of smaller-type premises. General
practitioners have now been appointed to the Health Centre and final approval from the Ministry
has been received. In view of the small site the local authority services to be provided will be
restricted to those essential to the area. The scheme will be of the utmost value as a pilot project
carried out in association with a teaching practice.
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