London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1964
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Finally, reference should be made to the department's relations with trade unions and
staff organisations. It was the Council's policy to encourage all members of its staff to
belong to their appropriate trade union or staff organisation; necessarily there were frequent
consultations and negotiations with the various associations concerned on pay and conditions
for the department's many grades of staff and on matters affecting the interests of
individuals. Relations remained cordial throughout and in all the considerable activity
in this field in the 16 years from 1948 official disputes were rare. Local problems affecting
day nursery staff and dental surgery assistants were discussed by joint consultative committees
and senior officers of the department represented the Council on the management
sides of Medical and Dental Whitley Councils, the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council
and the Professional and Technical Councils ' A ' and ' B ' of the Health Service.
The following statement shows the number of staff employed in the department at the end of 1964 (part-time staff are expressed as whole-time equivalents). The principal officers of the department at that date are shown in Appendix A.
| Types of staff | Location | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central office | Divisional offices and establishments (a) | Other establishments (b) | ||
| Administrative and clerical (including | ||||
| ambulance control clerks) | 262 | 671 | 78 | 1,011 |
| Medical officers (c) | 27 | 163 | — | 190 |
| Dental officers | 3 | 62 | - | 65 |
| Scientific branch staff | 59 | — | 23 | 82 |
| Inspectors | 16 | — | — | 16 |
| Medical auxiliaries (d) | 36 | 186 | 15 | 237 |
| Social worker grades (e) | 33 | 413 | 26 | 472 |
| Nursing and midwifery staff | 11 | 1,783 | 265 | 2,059 |
| Ambulance service operational staff | — | — | 856 | 856 |
| Manual workers, home helps, domestic grades, telephonists, etc | 17 | 3,295 | 17 | 3,329 |
| Totals | 464 | 6,573 | 1,280 | 8,317 |
(a) Including divisional health offices, home help offices, welfare centres, school treatment centres, training
centres for the mentally subnormal, etc.
(b) Including residential schools and nurseries, welfare department homes, recuperative holiday homes,
ambulance stations, outfall works laboratories, central dental laboratory.
(c) There are 125 visiting medical officers employed at residential establishments on a part-time basis whom
it is not possible to compute in terms of whole-time staff. They have therefore been omitted from the table.
(d) Including physiotherapists, speech therapists, dental surgery assistants, dental technicians.
(e) Including psychiatric social workers, mental health social workers, welfare officers (chest clinics), social
workers (health services), etc., and workers in allied fields (e.g. home help organisers).
Appointments and retirements—Dr. J. A. Scott, Medical Officer of Health and Principal
School Medical Officer retired on 8 August. He was succeeded by his deputy, Dr. A. B.
Stewart, who was appointed Medical Officer of Health and Principal School Medical
Officer on 11 November.
Dr. B. E. A. Sharpe, Divisional Medical Officer, Division 1, retired on 17 August and
Dr. E. M. Cran was appointed acting Divisional Medical Officer.
Mr. F. A. Richardson, Officer-in-Charge, London Ambulance Service, retired on
31 July and was succeeded by Mr. N. A. Woodruff (formerly assistant Officer-in-Charge)
in an acting capacity. Mr. L. J. J. Clark, Divisional Administrative Officer, Division 2,
replaced Mr. Woodruff and was succeeded in Division 2 by Mr. D. A. Collins.
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