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9
Sheldon Report. This envisaged continuity of medical supervision
from birth to school-leaving age by doctors specially trained for
the purpose—ultimately child health will become part of family
health and thus an integral part of the work of the general practitioner—with
the consequent abolition of the increasingly artificial
medical administrative division between the pre-school and school
periods of childhood. Two senior public health clinicians, Dr. Anna
Frenkiel and Dr. Rosemary Graham, were accordingly appointed
as Principal Medical Officers (Child Health), each looking after
the child health services in one half of the borough with a special
responsibility to maintain jointly the Handicap and Observation
Register and to develop close paediatric links with the corresponding
hospitals as well as with general practitioners. As part of the
in-service training programme for both doctors and nurses, a series
of lectures in developmental paediatrics was launched ; this proved
so successful that it was recognised by the British Postgraduate
Medical Federation as appropriate for the attendance of doctors
in general practice locally. The unification of the child health
service was quickly followed by the reorganization of the nursing
management arrangements in the light of the Mayston Report—this
entailed a similar geographical unification of the health visiting and
home nursing services, an Area Nursing Officer being appointed
in each half of the borough to exercise day-to-day responsibility
supported by a number of Nursing Officers. In addition, the importance
of the community nursing training and health education
commitments was recognized by the appointment of a Divisional
Nursing Officer to co-ordinate these activities throughout the
Borough as well as to oversee the domiciliary midwifery service.
Finally, in October, the major reorganization of the Health
Department was completed with the arrival of Dr. Michael Church
to take up the new post of Principal Medical Officer (Health Education
and Administration) with special responsibility from a medical
standpoint for the development of a comprehensive and continuing
health education programme—an exciting and challenging task.
Reshaping the Health Department for the future proceeded
smoothly pari passu with the progressive implementation of the
Local Authority Social Services Act, 1970, entailing the transfer
of important responsibilities to the newly created Social Services
Department. Thus the home help service, social work with families,
and functions relating to mental health were transferred in April,
day nurseries in May, and the registration of child minders, play
groups and private day nurseries in October. In addition the
responsibility for the provision and operation of the junior training
centres and associated special care units passed from the local
health authority to the local education authority when the Education
(Handicapped Children) Act, 1970, came into force at the
beginning of April. The best wishes of the Health Department for
success in their new tasks accompanied transferring staff. It is a
special pleasure to place on record my very real gratitude to my
friend and colleague, Mr. Higgins, for the part which he played as