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3
Visitors to
the Departments
The shortage of beds in observation wards led to difficulties in the administration
of the Mental Health Service (page 79).
We have had the privilege of receiving during the year a large number of
visitors who came to examine for themselves how the public health service was
developing and responding to the changes effected by the National Health Service
Act. Apart from groups there were 147 individual visitors. They were shown not
only the best that London possesses, but also, in response to specific requests,
particularly from countries which are in the early stages of developing their health
services, examples of establishments which function under less favourable conditions
as regards building, etc. (e.g., converted premises). They spent periods
ranging from a day to 3 or 4 weeks in visiting various establishments and in talks
with senior officers of the department. In addition, many of them who desired to
extend their enquiries to the Metropolitan Borough Council services or the
Provincial areas, whether large cities or rural districts, were advised on their
programmes and put into touch with appropriate officers of other authorities.
These individual visitors came from the following 40 countries and included 60
ladies. The figures in brackets show the number from each country:
Australia (12), Bhutam (1), Brazil (2), Canada (6), Ceylon (1), China (2),
Columbia (1), Czechoslovakia (1), Denmark (4), Equador (1), Egypt (3), Einland (1),
France (1), Germany (5), Greece (2), Holland (4), Hong Kong (3), Hungary (1),
Iceland (1), India (27), Iran (4), Italy (2), Jamaica (1), Jugoslavia (1), Malaya (1),
Mauritius (1), New Zealand (1), Northern Ireland (1), Norway (2), Pakistan (4),
Siam (2), Singapore (1), Sudan (6), Sweden (6), Switzerland (2), Tangier (1),
Trinidad (1), Turkey (1), Uruguay (1), United States of America (28), Venezuela (1).
These visitors included 61 doctors (general practitioners, medical officers of the
Local or Central Government Service and University professors). The remainder of
the visitors were nurses (14), teachers, students, journalists, welfare and social
workers and administrative officials of Local or Central Government.
In addition to these individual visitors several delegations numbering in all 203
persons visited County Hall in order to obtain information on the Council's Health
Service. They included:
14 members of the House of Representatives of the United States of America
and, later, officials of the United States Federal Government led by Mr. Oscar E.
Ewing, Administrator of the Federal Security Agency. The work of the department
was explained to them, questions were answered and visits paid to maternity and
child welfare centres.
8 Greek members of Parliament who visited a maternity and child welfare
centre and a day nursery.
45 nurses from the U.S.A., Finland, Turkey, etc., who had been attending the
International Nursing Conference at Stockholm were given a programme of visits
covering 12 days.
23 Asiatic public health workers who visited a maternity and child welfare
centre and day nursery.
A delegation from the Glasgow Corporation had our mental health services
explained to them and afterwards visited an occupation centre.
The London Ambulance Service excites much interest and was visited by
several parties, including 4 groups of staff from the Ministry of Health, 13 members
of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, members of the Staffordshire County
Council's ambulance staff, and members of the Association of Ambulance Officers.
The unique control room of this service is always of great interest to visitors to the
department.
Deaths
I regret to record the death on 16th September, 1949, of Dr. H. Smith, the
Divisional Medical Officer for Division 1.
Resignation
Dr. F. R. G. Heaf, a senior medical officer, resigned in December, 1949, on his