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The home safety campaigns, which take the form of 'Safety in the Home ' week
held in the autumn of the year at a time when people are, because of the onset of winter,
spending more time indoors, has gradually become accepted over a much wider area
than London and has assumed a national aspect. This has been due to a very large extent
to the efforts of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Campaigns are widely supported and, in addition to the co-operation of the
metropolitan boroughs which has been forthcoming on a generous scale as the Council's
proposals forecast, the press, both local and national, hospital authorities, general
practitioners, voluntary organisations, cinema exhibitors and a large number of business
and commercial organisations in the administrative County have shown a marked
willingness to assist. In 1957 the Councils of the metropolitan boroughs received
co-extensive powers with the Council in this important field.
Since May, 1956, the scheme for vaccination against poliomyelitis with its periodical
extension to new age groups has necessitated continuous efforts by way of press releases
and advertisements, posters and leaflets to keep the public informed and persuade them
to submit themselves for vaccination. The means used are described elsewhere in this
annual report.
Exhibitions
The Council has always been very willing to take part in exhibitions and throughout
this period it has joined in a large number promoted by metropolitan borough councils and
other organisations as opportunities occurred. It has departed from this practice in connection
with home safety. In 1957, in association with the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Accidents, a 'Danger at Home' exhibition was presented at Charing
Cross underground railway station as a focus for the home safety campaign of that year,
and in 1958 a 'Guard that Fire ' exhibition was presented at County Hall at which the
Home Secretary took the opportunity of launching his nation-wide campaign.
Generally, however, the Council is satisfied that its policy of taking part in exhibitions
as the opportunity arises rather than itself promoting large exhibitions specially for health
education purposes is the right one.
Displays in welfare centres, at divisional offices and similar establishments throughout
London are a regular health education feature. These are arranged by nursing staff and
form part of divisional programmes initiated, except in the case of diphtheria
immunisation and home safety, by divisional medical officers at their discretion.
Generally divisional programmes deal with one subject throughout the whole division
for a period of four weeks at a time.
A portable exhibition, which could be used as a comprehensive whole while being
capable of use in sections in premises of various sizes, has been carefully considered but
the disadvantages involved have indicated that it is better to augment the central pool
of material available for divisional use. This has the added advantage that it does nothing
to discourage initiative locally.
Health
education
material
The Council s policy generally is to make use of material available from official and
voluntary sources rather than provide its own pamphlets, posters, etc. It has, however,
departed from this practice recently in a number of cases. It has had a short film made
dealing with B.C.G. vaccination which has been exhibited widely in London cinemas
and is still being used, and two film strips dealing with the school health service and
vaccination. Its own officers have made a film strip dealing with the development of
the senses in the young and it has provided a pamphlet for school leavers in the form of a
guide to health which gives prominence to the causal connection between smoking
and cancer of the lung.
Facilities have been given for the distribution of a home safety handbook
published by an independent firm of publishers : a separate edition was prepared for
each metropolitan borough which, in addition to home and other safety material, gave
full details of the Council's health and other services in the locality.
Cancer education, particularly cancer of the lung with its connection with excessive
smoking, has received increasing attention in the last five years. Full consultation has