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Old Town Hall,
Fulham Broadway,
London, S.W.6.
Tel. No. 01 385 1212
The Mayor Aldermen and Councillors of
the London Borough of Hammersmith.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, ANNUAL REPORT 1971
INTRODUCTORY LETTER
I have the honour to present the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of
Health and Director of Health Services of the London Borough of
Hammersmith for the year 1971.
INTRODUCTION:
On 1st April 1971, your Medical Officer of Health vacated the post of
Director of Community Services. This Report is, therefore, in contrast
to previous years, confined to the Health Services.
With the agreement of the Inner London Education Authority, a report on
the School Health Service in the Borough during 1971, which has been submitted
to the Education Authority by your Medical Officer of Health in
his capacity as Principal School Medical Officer, is included in this
Annual Report.
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THE LOCAL AUTHORITY SOCIAL SERVICES ACT, 1971:
Consequent upon the coming into force of the Social Services Act, 1971,
the administration of the Welfare Service, the Children's Service, and
the social work elements of the Health Service was unified in the
Department of the Director of Social Services on 1st April, 1971. Having
been privileged to be associated with these exceedingly important
services until that time, one would wish to extend a very warm welcome
to Mr. Peter Westland, who was appointed as Director of Social Services
on 19th April, 1971, and to express to him and all the members of his
Department very best wishes for the success of the Social Services in
Hammersmith in the future.
In the interests of the community it is essential that the Health and
Social Services should continue to work closely together both up to
1st April, 1974, and beyond. There is every reason to believe that in
Hammersmith this will, in fact, be the case.
VITAL STATISTICS:
Once again, the Registrar General's estimate, as well as the provisional
1971 census figures, record a reduction in the population in Hammersmith
from 187,980 to 184,750. The 1971 birth rate also showed a slight
reduction in relation to that of the previous year.
Too much significance cannot be read into the annual vital statistics
produced by a relatively small population. Nevertheless, the continuing
need for the highest possible standard of maternal and child health
care whether provided in the home, the local authority clinic, the
doctor's surgery, or the hospital is underlined by the increase which
occurred during 1971 in the infant mortality rate in Hammersmith. The
figure of 21 per 1,000 live births was the highest infant mortality rate
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