View report page

Conclusion
Towards the close of the year an important decision was taken by the Council which,
if recruits are forthcoming, will do much to assist the development of the school dental
service. For the first time in the history of the service an ultimate dental staff—schoolchild
ratio of 1 : 3,000—was officially approved and an immediate establishment of the
equivalent of 93 whole-time dentists authorised. Every effort is being made to secure
the additional staff which will enable this goal to be reached and to provide the additional
accommodation necessary.
The period under review was one of improvement compared with the preceding
year but much remains to be done before the ground lost in the past few years is
regained and satisfactory progress made to implement the Council's statutory obligations
under the 1944 Education Act and the National Health Service Acts.
STAFF
in staff matters there were no developments of any magnitude during the year. As
in most fields of employment there was an upward trend in salaries and wages. Many
groups of staff received increases, some as a result of agreements reached by national
negotiating bodies and others, not covered by such agreements, by reason of action
taken by the Council itself.
Visiting
medical
officers
An agreement on the remuneration of visiting medical officers to residential
establishments was implemented by the Council during the year. This agreement was
negotiated in 1949 with the primary object of dealing with the new situation arising
from 5th July, 1948, under the National Health Service Act, 1946, whereby residents
in local authority establishments, in common with the populace at large, became
entitled to ' family doctor ' medical treatment under arrangements made, and paid for,