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3
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER
OF HEALTH FOR 1965
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the London Borough of Wandsworth.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present to you the first Annual Report
on the health of the London Borough of Wandsworth, covering the
year ended 31st December, 1965.
The London Borough of Wandsworth was constituted under the
London Government Act, 1963, and the Council of the Borough
was elected on 7th May, 1964. The Health Committee whose terms
of reference cover all matters relating to the health of the Borough
was appointed on 11th June, 1964, and the names of the Chairman,
Vice-Chairman and the members are shown on page 9 of this
Report.
One of the first functions of the new Council was to appoint
the Chief Officers of various departments and the senior officers
who would work under these Chief Officers. On page 9 of this
Report I show the senior officers of the Health Department who
took office in the new Borough.
It is the usual practice in Annual Health Reports to refer at the
end to any help which the Medical Officer of Health may have received
during the course of the year. On the occasion of presenting
this first Annual Report I propose to reverse the procedure and to
say at the beginning how much I and my senior colleagues in the
Health Department have valued and relied upon the help and experience
of the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Health
Committee, and the Committee itself, in the planning and formation
of the new Department. I should also like to say, since in this early
period in the life of the Borough staffing problems have loomed
very large in our considerations, how much we have appreciated
the guidance and help of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the
Establishment Committee and the Town Clerk and the Establishment
Officer in the recruitment of staff for the Health Department
at a time when qualified and experienced staff throughout the
whole of the London region have been, and remain, at a premium.
To all members of the Health Department and particularly the
senior members in charge of sections, I should also like to express
my personal thanks for their application to their work throughout
the early life of the new Council.