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16
Public Health Inspectors — Duties outside normal office hours
The need for regular inspection of itinerant food vendors and premises where visits are only possible
during the late evening, particularly at weekends, referred to in previous reports, remains a necessary
feature of effective food and food premises control. The number of contraventions of the Food Hygiene
(Markets, Stalls and Delivery Vehicles) Regulations found by the inspectors employed on a "duty rota"
basis, referred to later in this report (page 30), (see also Analysis of Legal Proceedings,Table 25, page 81)
illustrates the need to continue the arrangement.
Student Public Health Inspectors
Since amalgamation, Westminster has proved the value of the fully comprehensive and systematic
training scheme provided within the Department for its complement of students. The overall supervision of
the four-year studentship of accepted pupils to ensure that experience gained is balanced in all aspects of
the work, and that it is, as far as possible, co-ordinated with the programme of lectures and practical visits
of instruction arranged by the Technical Colleges, remains the responsibility of a senior inspector. Four
students who completed their studies during the year passed the qualifying examination. A further five
students were appointed during the year, bringing the total still in training to thirteen.
Technical Assistants
Prior to the amalgamation of the London Boroughs in 1965, Westminster, St. Marylebone and
Paddington had employed technical assistants as a supplement to their establishment of public health
inspectors to assist them with their work in various ways. In general terms they were essentially enquiry
officers, as in principle they still are, although naturally their usefulness and capacity is relative to the
experience they acquire.
It has been found that the value of the technical assistant to the particular inspector or to the section
within which he works is greater if he remains more or less permanently attached to that section. Changes
are therefore kept to a minimum although it has been accepted that each technical assistant may progress in
salary, subject to his proven ability indicating that he can undertake work of greater responsibility.
The establishment of technical assistants to the public health inspectors in Westminster remained at 28
throughout the year. The ever-increasing scope of the public health inspectors' work, which is of a highly
technical nature, and its potential legal involvement make it necessary to ensure that the services of public
health inspectors are utilised to the best advantage. As far as possible they concentrate on duties which
require their full professional skills. The appointment of assistants, without previous training, experience or
qualifications, must not be regarded as alternatives to inspectors, but nevertheless the assistants have a
valuable part to play in the environmental health scene, subject to discretion being used in their
deployment. It is recognised that there is no substitute for the skill and judgement of the fully qualified
officer.
District Inspection
The district public health inspectors work in three groups under the day to day control of three Area
Inspectors of senior grading. Despite the various aspects of environmental work demanding specialist staff,
district duties are essentially the basis of general overall surveillance and control. District Inspectors
therefore continue in their full statutory responsibility for their respective areas in all aspects of the work,
liaison being maintained with their specialist colleagues as individual circumstances require.
A statistical summary of visits by public health inspectors appears in Table 9 on page 74.
Dwelling Houses
General inspection of dwelling houses arising from complaints and for routine purposes, as distinct from
duties under the Housing Acts and other specialised functions dealt with later in this Report, are
undertaken by the district public health inspectors. An analysis of reasons for initial inspections of dwelling
houses in given in Table 7, page 73 and an analysis of 2,583 (2,613) nuisances and unsatisfactory conditions
found and remedied appears in Table 8, page 73.