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15
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Chief Public Health Inspector: E. W. PIKE, M.R.S.H., M.A.P.H.I., A.M.B.I.M.
Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector: V. A. BIGNELL, F.A. P.H.I., M.R.S.H.

WORK OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTORS
The impact of recent legislation particularly in relation to private sector housing, the control of food
premises and consumer protection as far as food products are concerned has continued to stretch the
resources of the public health inspectorate and has emphasised the necessity to have available in sufficient
numbers an experienced and energetic staff. Westminster in common with the majority of the London
Boroughs experiences difficulty in recruiting public health inspectors to achieve full establishment and the
potential number of officers who are likely to retire during the next few years causes some apprehension,
bearing in mind staff availability and work load pattern for the year now under review.
Previous reports have made reference to this situation and it would appear for very obvious economic
reasons there will be little likelihood of the Inner London authorities attracting applicants for advertised
vacancies from provincial areas. For the foreseeable future the City Council's own student training scheme
will be virtually the only source of maintaining or strengthening the number of public health inspectors so
necessary in west central London. It is estimated that, taking into consideration existing deficiencies in
establishment, probable losses due to retirement and resignations, for some time at least four students a
year will be absorbed upon qualification.
The future of public health inspectors is at present uncertain in the light of the awaited decisions
involving the reorganisation of the national health service. The mode of employment of the inspectors
remaining with local authorities as the surviving departmental officers responsible for such a variety of
functions co-ordinated under the aegis of environmental health will need to be decided. Uncertainty on
such vital issues is not conducive to stability in any organisation and this has been reflected in the staff
situation at the time of producing this report.
Broadly speaking the work of the public health inspectors can be given two classifications, the
investigation of matters that are the subject of written or verbal complaint, and routine inspections of
premises for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not compliance with current relevant statutes is being
effected.
It is a fact that prior to and since the amalgamation of the London Boroughs in 1965 it is the routine
duties that tend to be neglected where staff shortages make it necessary to apply priorities to the overall
work load.
Routine visits by public health inspectors are not by their very nature over-popular from the point of
view of the inspecting officer or the proprietors of the establishment being 'checked'. Furthermore much
tact is needed to give the correct impression that the reason for the inspection is not only a statutory duty
but is primarily intended to be in the interests of the proprietors themselves, as members of the public.
It is equally true that failure to maintain a reasonable standard of routine control in premises subject to
public health legislation has serious repercussions. The friendly co-operation that can be fostered between
inspector and proprietor becomes difficult when long intervals occur between inspections. Conditions are
permitted to deteriorate, contraventions of legislation of consequence to the life of the community
continue to occur, and the inspector when he does visit has to be so critical to the point of invoking the law
that his future visits are likely to be regarded by the proprietor with suspicion and his advice, if followed,
taken with the attitude I will comply with the letter and not the spirit of the law'. This is of course an
entirely wrong premise and one which more regular visits, for which time can be taken to giving advice and
assistance aimed at preventing situations occurring calling for direct legal intervention, can avoid.