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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 section 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 the 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 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 Minister 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
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