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Girl Guides, Scout Groups, Cub Scouts, Campaigners, etc., are asking for talks and assistance when
presenting First Aid and Home Safety Courses. One group of Girl Guides also asked for a talk and discussion
about drugs. This was presented to a large group which included parents who had come from a wide area of
North London. We are also receiving requests from Church Youth Groups who wish to know more about
human relationships, and talks are now provided to these groups covering areas never explored in the past, such
as V.D., Sex Education and the birth of a baby. Opinions are changing and it is good to see enlightenment.
A group of I.L.E.A. Youth Officers and Youth Leaders attended a seminar presented by the Health
Education Officer and were able to preview films which dealt with some of the many health topics provided
by the Health Education Service and from this a number of youth groups asked for integrated courses of
Health Education on Human Relationships.
TRAINING
Student Public Health Inspectors received tutorials from the Health Education Officer on the content
and method of Health Education.
Nearly 300 members of Council staff attended In Service Training Courses on Emergency First Aid
and Oral Resuscitation given by the Health Education Assistant, who has a special responsibility for the
promotion of Home Safety. In addition many Home Helps received a talk on the detection and emergency
action to be taken in cases of Hypothermia.
Many groups of students from various disciplines have visited the Health Education Centre and the
Health Department for practical instruction and tutorials on the method and content of Health Education
and received advice on how to create and administer a Health Education Service. These students included
groups from The Centre for Educational Development Overseas , Student Nurses, Medical Students and
Student Teachers. It is pleasing to note the following comment in a report by the Student Teachers Tutor.
"The teaching aids available to Islington must be one of the finest collections extant".
The Health Education Officer was invited to give papers and lectures at a number of conferences and
seminars organised by national bodies. He lectured at Cambridge University to the Students' Union on
"Giving up Smoking". At a conference presented by A.S.H. (Action on Smoking and Health) at the King
Edwards' Fund Hospital Centre, he gave a paper on Smoking Advisory Clinics. He was again invited to
lecture at the Speakers Conference of the Women's National Cancer Control Campaign on the presentation
of Cancer Education and at Phillipa Fawcett Teachers' Training College on the dangers of smoking. In
addition he gave papers on Smoking and Drug Addiction to D.P.H. Students at the Royal Institute of Public
Health and Hygiene. Talks on V.D., Drugs and Smoking were also given to staff at the Whittington Hospital in
a series of seminars.
GERIATRIC CLINICS
Advisory Health Circles for Elderly People continue to flourish and go from strength to strength each
year. They maintain a happy atmosphere and enable the members of the groups to see each other on a regular
basis. Friendships are struck up at the Circles, which provide a meeting to look forward to every week, and
a place where nutriments can be bought cheaply and a little health education received at the same time.
A group of 60 old folk from the Drayton Park Circle organised a coach trip to Hampton Court last
summer where they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Afterwards they were entertained to tea at the
country home of a member of the Health Department Staff and were each given a small parcel of food
samples provided by various companies.
At Christmas time each Geriatric Circle has a Party and a Carol gathering, these are enjoyed immensely,
and the centre staff spend a tremendous amount of time in organising and raising funds for these functions
and at the same time the ladies of the Circles have contributed by knitting squares which are made into
patchwork blankets and presented to needy elderly folk.
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