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16
STAFF
During 1957 an investigation of the working of the
Public Health Department was carried out by a team from the
Metropolitan Boroughs' Organisation and Methods Committee. No
major changes in the running of the department were recommended
but as a result of the report of the investigating team the
Council agreed to some alteration.
Previously, there has been no specialist public health
inspector, the establishment consisting of a Chief Inspector,
a Deputy Chief Inspector and eleven District Inspectors. The
new establishment is reduced to a total of twelve consisting
of the Chief Inspector and his deputy, a full time food
inspector, a full time (woman) inspector for infectious
diseases and old persons, a housing inspector who also carries
out some district work, a smoke Inspector also doing district
work and six district inspectors.
The reduction in the total number of inspectors was
largely made possible by the granting of car allowances to
all the public health inspectors who were able and willing to
provide cars for use in their work. Hampstead is a difficult
area for public transport and whilst there are three main
north south routes, the services from east to west leave a
great deal to be desired. It was found moreover that even
in dealing with a district directly adjoining the Public Health
Department the use of a car would save an inspector at least
one hour per day.
The Council also agreed to some modification of
the conditions for trainee public health inspectors. Previously,
trainees have been employed as clerks and have been given
opportunity to gain the necessary experience in public health
work, whereas now they are primarily trainees who do some
clerical duties and this has allowed of a better and more
intensive training programme which is not so dependent on the
amount of clerical work to be done . The establishment allows
for the employment of three trainee public health inspectors.
This has involved an Increase In the clerical establishment by
one Junior clerk, and in spite of the difficulty of getting
recruits for these Junior positions in local government, it has
been possible to fill this post.
Another minor alteration was to have the three
inspectors' assistants trained as rodent operatives and to
make the duties of these three assistants and the two rodent