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10
Director of Social Services in ensuring a smooth transition during
a period of extensive reorganization.
Close collaboration between the health and social services is
indispensable to the successful development of the concept of
community health and welfare in the years ahead. The growth
points of health care are to be found in the spheres of physical or
mental handicap in child or adult, mental illness, chronic sickness
and disability, and old age. All demand an interlocking effort. This
was the basic theme of some notes, prepared during the summer
for the newly elected members of the Council on " The Role of the
Health Department which form an appendix to this preface.
Hence the significance of the formation in November of a local
liaison committee to foster collaboration between the Health and
Social Services in Wandsworth. The members comprise five general
medical practitioners nominated by the Inner London Local
Medical Committee, five senior (area) social workers and the
Assistant Director (Community and Social Work Services) of the
Social Services Department, a senior medical representative and a
senior social worker from each of the three main hospital groups
in the Borough, the Chief Nursing Officer of the Health Department,
the Consultant Psychiatric Adviser to the Corporation, the
Director of Social Services and myself. Communications in the
field of mental health and the organization of the Health and Social
Services Departments were the main items on the inaugural agenda.
Meetings will be held quarterly to review opportunities for co-operation
in spheres of mutual concern such as the implementation of
the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, 1970. The local
liaison committee has made a most promising start.
One other growth point of the health service in the immediate
future remains to be mentioned, namely, primary medical and
nursing care in the home. Here reference has already been made
to the support rendered to the family doctor by the Department in
relation to family planning, cervical cytology, maternal and child
health, health visiting, home nursing, chiropody and health education.
Fostering the closest ties with general medical practice is a
basic objective which is undoubtedly furthered by working in close
physical proximity—hence the importance of nursing attachment
schemes and of the endorsement by the Council of reciprocal arrangements
with neighbouring boroughs. Equally welcome in this context
is the current upsurge of interest in purpose-built group practice
or health centres; the planning of the three firm health centre
projects in the Borough—at Bridge Lane. Battersea ; Brocklebank ;
and Larch Road, Balham gathered increasing momentum during
the year and the possibility of a fourth health centre, in association
with a new Council housing site at Burtop Road, was being
actively explored following approval of the project in principle.
A change in procedure in relation to the medical assessment of
priority claims for rehousing on health grounds proved of real
assistance to general practitioners. Under the new scheme,