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expected that it is possible under these circumstances to carry out all the necessary
visiting and other work under the Public Health, Housing, Factories, Food & Drugs,
Shops and other Acts which are mentioned in the body of this Report and for which
the responsibility for inspection and enforcement has been placed upon the
Inspectors. New Parliamentary legislation does not diminish the work of the Department
but tends to increase it year by year. This is welcome insofar as hygiene and
sanitary standards are being raised all the time, but it becomes more difficult for
the staff available to carry out their duties as comprehensively as they would desire.
In the section of the Report dealing with old persons, the considerable and
useful work done has been recorded, as hitherto. Although there are many aged
persons living in unsatisfactory circumstances where the Department's visitors are
called upon to visit, it is only necessary to take compulsory action in a very small
proportion of such cases. These must be reckoned the hard-core of failures and
they have been recorded in detail year by year, as required by the Ministry of
Health. The great majority of elderly persons visited, however, co-operate either
willingly, or are persuaded to co-operate after a time, with the Department's visitors
and the organisations which are available to help, and it has been decided to include
reports on some quite representative cases where the most useful improvements
were effected on a voluntary basis and which really comprise by far the greater
part of the work.
It must be appreciated from the content of the Report that the Department's
officers work closely and in liaison with officers of many other authorities and
bodies, both statutory and voluntary, as well as members of the public. It is
inevitable that the London County Council, as the local health authority and
responsible for the personal health services under the National Health Service Act,
1946, and also as the housing authority for the County of London, must be the
Authority most frequently referred to and I should like to express my thanks for
the co-operation always so willingly given by the Divisional Medical Officer, Dr.
Wilfrid G. Harding, and all members of the staff of Health Division 3.
The latter part of the year was made somewhat difficult for the Medical Officer
of Health by the resignation of the part-time Deputy, Dr. A. L. Thrower, following
his appointment as Deputy Divisional Medical Officer, L.C.C., Health Division 7
(Camberwell and Lewisham), which post he took up at the end of July. It was
not possible for a successor to Dr. Thrower to be appointed during the remainder of
the year. In this connection also thanks are due to Dr. Harding for his services
as Acting Medical Officer during the absence of the Medical Officer of Health on
annual leave in August.
Once again I should like to express my appreciation to Mr. W. C. Bartlett,
Chief Public Health Inspector, and to Mr. E. J. Sharp, Chief Clerk, and, in
fact, to all members of the staff of the Public Health Department.
Reference was made in the last Report to the relationship between the Chief
Officer of a Department and the Chairman of the Committee, which is most important
in the smooth running of local government. I have been fortunate in the
continued assistance and co-operation of the two principal Chairmen with which a
Medical Officer of Health has to deal in this Borough, viz. the Chairman of the
Public Health Committee, Alderman A. J. Rogers, and the Chairman of the Housing
Committee, Councillor E. J. W. Bayliss, and my thanks are also due to their respective
Committees for the consideration and courtesy which they have always afforded me.
V. FREEMAN,
Medical Officer of Health.