London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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| Area No. and name | No. of dwellings | Date of operation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ladywell | 1,409 | 1.9.59 | |
| 2 Southend | 2,827 | 1.11.59 | |
| 3 Brookdale | 1,155 | 1.9.60 | |
| 4 Penerley | 3,367 | 1.10.60 | |
| 5 Glenbow | 2,059 | 1.9.60 | |
| 6 Lewisham Park | 3,716 | 1.8.61 | |
| 7 Sandhurst | 2,187 | 1.8.61 | |
| 8 Hazelbank | 3,154 | — | Submitted to Minister (for 1.7.62) |
| 9 Northover | 3,225 | — | Submitted to Minister (for 1.9.62) |
| 10 Blythe Hill | 2,680* | — | Under survey |
| 11 Algernon | 2,000† | — | Under survey |
| *approximate †approximate and including Loampit Vale Area | |||
*approximate †approximate and including Loampit Vale Area
The above deals with approximately 28,000 dwellings out of an
estimated total of 71,000.
Home safety
As a result of pressure by the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing
Joint Committee a clause was included in the LCC (General Powers)
Bill of 1957 (which subsequently became an Act) under which metropolitan
boroughs were given powers to deal to some extent with home
safety. S.82 of the 1957 Act allows a borough council "for the purpose
of promoting safety in the home and for encouraging the taking
of proper precautions in preventing the occurrence of accidents therein"
to make arrangements for the dissemination in the borough of information
and advice relating to such matters. In 1961 the Home
Safety Act was passed which repeals and re-enacts the above powers,
and allows contributions to be made to voluntary committees and organisations
carrying out home safety work.
Before and after the passing of the Act, the Health department had
arranged or carried out certain propaganda or educational efforts in
connection with home safety. For example, home safety films have been
shown to old people's clubs; various posters, leaflets and pamphlets
have been displayed or made available to the public; the council subscribes
to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, home
safety section; health department leaflets have been printed and displayed;
various suggestions have been made for home safety in the
provision of housing; statistics on accidents in the home are collected
or sought from hospitals. Furthermore a quarterly bulletin is issued
to local clubs, organisations, doctors and dentists, so that it can be
available to club members, those attending surgeries, and so on.
Some 500 copies of each issue are distributed.