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4
Staff
and
General
The deficiency in the establishment of Public Health Inspectors which has been
mentioned in the last few Annual Reports unfortunately continued during 1959. This
shortage of key sanitary staff renders it impossible to effect as many inspections as
is thought desirable and inevitably entails delays on many occasions to members of the
public following complaints made, and which delays are greatly regretted. These circumstances
naturally place an additional burden upon the existing Inspectors, but in spite of these
difficulties the great volume of their work done (which is embodied in the Report in summary
form) must be apparent.
The Medical Officer of Health is the principal representative of a health team and the
value of the team depends upon the contributions made by all its members and their active
and efficient co-operation. Dr. J.P.J Burns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health had a
particularly difficult year arising out of the exceptional incidence of some infectious
disease mentioned in the Report. I am pleased to express my thanks to him I again have to
express my personal appreciation to Mr. W.C Bartlett, Chief Public Health Inspector and
Mr. H Plinston, Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector, who have had to bear the brunt of
the Inspector establishment deficiency; on the administrative side, thanks are due to
Mr E J Sharp, Chief Clerk, as well as to all Officers and members of the staff of the
Department.
My appreciation would not be complete without again expressing my thanks to Dr Wilfrid
G. Harding, Divisional Medical Officer, Health Division 3, and to all members of his Divisional
staff for co-operation and liaison so willingly offered to link the two aspects of the
environmental and personal public health services to the common advantage of the people of the
Borough.
I also have the pleasure in referring again to the importance of the relationships between
Heads of Departments and the Chairmen of the respective Committees and the thanks I must express
to the two principal Chairmen dealing with Public Health Department matters namely, Alderman
A.J, Rogers of the Public Health Committee and Councillor E J W Bayliss of the Housing Committee
My thanks must also include the Members of these Committees for their kind and courteous
consideration of the many reports I have placed before them during the year.
V. FREEMAN
Medical Officer of Health.