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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the London Borough of Islington
INTRODUCTION
The introduction to my annual report for 1970 and to that of my predecessor for 1969 referred to
the major changes impending in the organisation of the health and social services. In 1971 the first stage in
this series of changes took place with the setting up of the Social Services Department and the transfer to
it from the Health Department of a wide range of services for handicapped and vulnerable groups in the
community, including the mental health service, the day care of pre-school children, and the meals on wheels
and home help services which are of particular importance to the elderly. My predecessor's final annual
report, that for 1969, included a review of progress and developments in the services for which the Borough
assumed responsibility on its formation in 1965 and this amongst other things describes the substantial
development which had been achieved in these services in the period between their passage to the Borough
Health Department from the former London County Council and their transfer to the Social Services
Department. These achievements, together with plans for development worked out during the same period
will, it is hoped, provide a firm basis on which to build for the future.
Reference was made in my report for 1970 to the importance of fostering a close working relationship
between the health and social services departments in order to minimise the damage which may result from
the separation of health from social services which will take place on the re-organisation of the National
Health Services in 1974. In order to ensure the smooth transfer of services from the health to the social
services a series of meetings of senior officers of the two departments was commenced and these have continued
to be held at quarterly intervals. In addition a senior member of the health department's nursing
staff was seconded to the social services department for a six month period in order to assist in the initial
period of responsibility for the transfer of services in the field of child care.
Progress towards the re-organisation of the National Health Service continued with the publication in
the middle of the year of the Consultative Document in which the Secretary of State set out his proposals
for the future organisation of the service. Later in the year the expert study into the detailed management
structure of the new organisation, and the working party to study the vital matter of collaboration between
the Area Health Authorities and the Local Authorities, both referred to in the Consultative Document,
commenced their work and it is anticipated that a White Paper will be published in the summer or early
autumn of 1972. During the year anxieties were expressed in some quarters that the approaching loss of their
health services might lead some less enlightened local authorities to neglect them during the interim period
and the Secretary of State took action to try and prevent this by issuing circulars and holding local and
regional meetings with local authority representatives. It is pleasant to record that as far as Islington is
concerned, the Borough remains fully committed to maintaining and extending its health services in the
interests of its residents so that they can be transferred to the new health authorities in a strongly developed
and vigorous state and in particular a programme of health centre provision has been worked out which will,
it is hoped, provide the Borough with a total of ten health centres over the next few years.
In April the River Place Health Centre, the first purpose-built health centre constructed in the Borough,
was opened providing accommodation for seven general practitioners and a wide range of local authority
personal and school health services. A fuller appreciation of the working of this centre appears in the body
of this report at page 7 : there is no doubt that the experience of closer working relationships between the
various services housed in the centre has been to the benefit not only of the professional and other staff
involved but also, and more important, to the patients.
Development and expansion took place in a number of other sections of the department during the
year and are fully reported in the body of this report. Amongst those worthy of special mention is the
Health Education unit. Always amongst the most active and successful departments of its kind in London,
and indeed in the country, this unit was increased in strength during the year by two additional posts and