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112
Concern about the local situation was expressed in Council
and in January 1972 I submitted a report supporting the further
development of the role of the Council in the campaign against
venereal disease. There are in fact no venereal disease clinics
in Wandsworth and, in consequence, the tracing of contacts is
mainly undertaken by staff employed by the London Borough of
Lambeth, the cost of which is reimbursed by this Borough for the
important follow-up work undertaken in relation to Wandsworth
residents. In practice, more than 70% of Wandsworth patients
attend the Lydia Clinic at St.Thomas's Hospital in Lambeth.
From early 1972 the Borough co-operated with the Health
Education Council in a project concerning the control of sexually
transmitted diseases in conjunction with the London Borough of
Lambeth. This has involved participation in the activities of
the Steering Committee, co-operation with the Research Division
of the Health Education Council and three Research Welfare
Officers, and the use of specially designed illuminated display
units. These units, which warn against the risk of catching
gonorrhoea were sited for two-week periods in three colleges of
education and in the Arndale Centre, and subsequently for a
month at a time in the public libraries in Wandsworth. The
illuminated sequence lasted about one minute and was well
accepted at all display sites.
An open-line recorded message of VD information by telephone
was one of the suggestions of the Steering Committee
and this has been made available for the whole of London
01-246 8072 - by the Department of Health and Social Security,
and all clinics are listed in the telephone directory. This
confidential telephone service was introduced in December
and more than 74,000 calls were made in that month!