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PART 4
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
81
These services are provided by the Council, in its capacity as
local health authority, under those sections of the National Health
Service Acts and the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968,
which are designed to safeguard the health of the individual and
to provide care and attention should ill-health occur.
Comprehensive health centres
The policy of development of new health centres to serve areas
of need, and to replace old adapted premises, first approved by
the Health Committee in May 1967, was pursued throughout 1972.
In addition to the three health centres already in an advanced
planning stage, namely Bridge Lane, S.W.11 , Brocklebank, S.W.18,
and Larch Road, S.W.12, together with a fourth centre at Burtop
Road, S.W.17, (still in an early planning stage) preliminary
discussions took place with representatives of St.George's
Hospital, Tooting, local general practitioners, and the two
Executive Councils concerned, to consider the provision of a
fifth centre to be included within the development area of the
Hospital.
At the end of 1972 the programming of the centres remained as
for 1971, since provisional completion dates had not been decided
for the Burtop Road and St.George's Hospital Centres.
Community nursing service
Co-ordination and co-operation were the watch words of the
community nursing service during the year. While welcoming the
the introduction in October 1971 of the Mayston Structure of
Management, the matter of implementation occupied us for the
greater part of 1972. We intended that the structure of management
and its implementation would, wherever possible, engender
a high degree of job satisfaction and recognition for individual
effort within a team of people working together; and that each
member of staff be afforded respect for his contribution and to
experience his value as a team member. To facilitate a team
approach the two nursing officers working within each geographical
area were based at the same centre within their area, and all staff
coming under their span of control were allocated bases within that