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9
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH—WORK OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTORS
Chief Public Health Inspector: E. W. Pike, M.A.P.H.I.
Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector: W. G. J. Sutton, F.A.P.H.I.
At 3lst December, 1965
Establishment In post
Public Health Inspectors 59 42
Student Public Health Inspectors 11 10
Technical Assistants 18 17
The Environmental Health Services previously provided by the three authorities immediately prior
to amalgamation on 1st April, 1965, have been continued practically unchanged; indeed, certain
improvements or innovations which would otherwise have been introduced have largely been precluded
by the continued shortage of public health inspectors. To alleviate difficulties caused by this shortage
over a long period, the City Council decided to increase the establishment by six additional posts of
Technical Assistant to aid the inspectors in the performance of routine duties and so enable them to
concentrate on those matters which require their professional knowledge and experience. The City
Council also agreed to the recruitment of further student public health inspectors up to the ratio of one
student for every three inspectors available to assist in their training. This, however, is a long term
approach to the problem presented by the lack of adequate qualified staff, and the benefits of the
training programme will not become apparent for some years.
The use, after amalgamation, of locally familiar buildings in the Paddington and St. Marylebone
areas as District Offices has proved to have been justified, both from the point of view of the general
public and the staff. Coincidental with the amalgamation, new legislation, in the form of the Rent
Act, 1965, which superseded the Protection from Eviction Act, 1964, made close liaison between City
Hall and the District Offices especially important, as in alleged cases of "harassment" it is essential
that the District Public Health Inspector should interview the parties concerned without delay, and
that the information so obtained should be transmitted to the Town Clerk and City Solicitor
immediately.
The main Environmental Health problems inherited by the new City were in the fields of housing
and the control of food and food premises, whilst the supervision of drainage works, particularly in
relation to new developments, also presents special problems in a highly urbanized area such as
Westminster. Accordingly, three teams of Specialist Public Health Inspectors have been set up,
each to deal with these three important functions. A Specialist Inspector deals exclusively with Offices
and Shops Act matters, including the supervision of four technical assistants carrying out initial survey
work. Smoke control is supervised by a Specialist Inspector, while another deals with the control
of water supplies from private wells; the last mentioned officer is also responsible for arrangements
for the training of student public health inspectors and for the preparation of rotas of duty, referred
to elsewhere in this report, designed to effect maximum coverage of Environmental Health matters
outside normal office hours.
Student Public Health Inspectors—Practical Training
At the amalgamation of the three former Boroughs there were nine student public health inspectors
in the Health Department, attending Technical Colleges under a system of day-release training and
receiving practical training in the Department. Two were completing courses for the qualifying
certificate of the Royal Society of Health and Public Health Inspectors Education Board—the last of
these examinations was held in December, 1965—and the remaining seven were undergoing training
for the Diploma Examination of the Public Health Inspectors Education Board.
During the year one student qualified by passing the certificate examination of the old Education
Board, and two qualified by passing the Diploma examination. All three were subsequently appointed
as Public Health Inspectors by the Council. One student resigned from the City Council's service
and two abandoned their studentships.
Seven new students took up appointments during the year, so that at December, 1965, there were
ten student public health inspectors under training in the Health Department.
Public Health Inspectors—Night and Weekend, etc. Duties
In the section of this Report regarding the "Emergency Telephone Service" reference is made to
public health inspectors being on-call outside normal hours of duty. Prior to amalgamation each of
the three Boroughs had its own scheme for dealing with essential Environmental Health work after