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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 21-29 of the National Health Service Act 1946, as
amended by the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968. 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 continued during the
year. There was consultation between the three services at Maternity
Liaison Committees and during the year many visits of observation were
made to personal health establishments. Visitors included students of
nursing, health visiting, medicine, dietetics, nutrition, home economics,
social and hospital administration and student tutors. Nursing Officers
continued to teach student nurses at Fulham/Charing Cross, West London,
Royal Masonic and Hammersmith Hospitals.
The ways in which domiciliary staff co-operated with the other two
branches of the Health Service are described in the following paragraphs
on particular services.
Health Centres (National Hea1th 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
of April 1966 - 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 for the future.
It was felt that the needs of the Borough could best be served by Group
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 Health Facilities
School Treatment Centre
Information/Advice Centre
Additional Special Clinics as Necessary
(Example, geriatric/chiropody)
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