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A condition rather of stalemate continued in this service during 1951 but such
movement as there was, was unfortunately in a downward direction. Hospitals (Part
II, National Health Service Act), General Dental Service (Part IV, National Health
Service Act) and Private Practice continued to deal with an unknown volume of
treatment for the "priority" class but the Council was unable to meet its statutory
obligation in full owing to lack of staff.
In the Council's service during 1951, so far from it being possible to make any
expansion, the number of weekly materrity and child welfare dental sessions dropped
to 54 compared with 01 in the previous year
Conclusion
The year under review was one of intensive effort to prevent as far as possible
further deterioration and I would place on record my appreciation of the clinic staff
who have worked to capacity to make the effort fairly successful.
The service suffered a severe blow owing to the death on 21st December, 1951.
of the Assistant Chief Dental Officer Mr. F. D. Manners, L.D.S.
Application
of national
salary scales
STAFF
During the year the Whitley Councils for the Health Services (Great Britain
continued their work of formulating national scales of salary and conditions of service
Recommendations from these bodies covering the following grades of staff in tin
Public Health Department, were applied by the Council:—
(1) Whole-time medical staff.
(2) Whole-time dental staff.
(3) Senior grades of nursing staff.
(4) Residential school nurses and assistant nurses.
(5) Medical auxiliaries (speech therapists, psychiatric social workers and
physiotherapists.)
In some of these recommendations, notably those covering the "field" grades of
assistant medical officer and dental officer, the Whitley Council scales, although
involving increases for the staff of most other local authorities, differed little from the
Council's existing ones. The shortage of whole-time dental officers persisted during
the year and efforts were continued to induce dental surgeons in private practice to
give part-time service to the Council.
Increases in
pay
In addition to the grades covered by the Whitley Councils the pay of other staff
of the department was revised during the year, in most instances increases being
granted in the light of the rise in the cost of living. An award of the Industrial
Disputes Tribunal increased the pay of most manual workers in the department,
including home helps. The Council itself revised the salaries of the supervisory staff
of occupation centres for mentally deficient persons and of student health visitors.
A number of grades benefited by the application of the 10 per cent. addition to
remuneration granted by the Council at the beginning of the year to a large section of
its staff.
Home help
organisers
A comprehensive review was made of the organisation of the home help service
leading to the fixing of an establishment of supervisory staff and the formulation of
salary scales.
Health
visitors and
clinic nurses
A measure of success continued to reward efforts to increase the number of
health visitors working in London. Specialised advertising met with an encouraging
response and the Council's scheme for the training of health visitors continued to
play a useful part, a good proportion of students remaining in the Council's service