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HEALTH SERVICE PREMISES
The maternity and child welfare centres transferred to the Council under the National
Health Service Act, 1946 varied considerably both in standard and type, and were mainly
accommodated in church halls, shops and converted dwelling-houses. They were generally
sub-standard and in need of replacement. Only about 10 per cent. of the transferred premises
had been purpose built and while a number of these provided excellent facilities others,
built earlier, were too small to be regarded as adequate by modern standards. Furthermore,
certain areas were not adequately served either by maternity and child welfare centres or
day nurseries, partly as a result of alterations in the density of the population within the
county which occurred during and since the war.
It was recognised that shortages of materials and labour would preclude the erection of
many centres and other health service buildings and that the rate at which progress could
be made would be very largely dependent upon the economic position. Restrictions on
capital expenditure prevented the Council from carrying out much of its health service
building programme but a substantial number of high priority projects were completed or
were nearing completion by the end of 1964. Particulars of these schemes and of other
major building works completed since 1948 are set out in tables (i) and (ii) and summarised
in table (iii).
Comprehensive health centres
Original proposals—The Council, recognising the importance of the role which the
comprehensive health centre could play in securing the fullest co-operation between the
personal health services and those provided by the hospital and specialist services and by
general medical and dental practitioners, included in proposals for carrying out its duties
under section 21 of the National Health Service Act, 1946 the following:
(i) The building of the Woodberry Down comprehensive health centre, Stoke
Newington;
(ii) the establishment of a similar centre in each of the nine health divisions, if
suitable buildings could be found for adaptation; and
(iii) the acquisition and adaptation of suitable premises for use as group practices
only in any area where the demand for such facilities existed.
This constituted the initial stage of the ultimate provision of a comprehensive health
centre service, which it was realised would take many years to achieve. The long-term plan
was to provide a centre in each of 162 health service areas into which London was to be
divided.
Action to implement the proposals—
(i) Woodberry Down health centre—Local authority and specialist services began
when the centre opened in October 1952. All doctors practising within a mile of the centre
were invited to apply for facilities. Although six were eventually selected, they were unwilling
to work in partnership. In fact, they practised independently from their surgeries in
the centre, although the Council recently agreed to arrangements whereby two of the
practices include additional partners in the interests of making greater use of the facilities
available.
(ii) Other comprehensive centres—No suitable buildings were found for adaptation but
some 40 sites were provisionally earmarked for the provision of health centres when
circumstances became propitious.
(iii) Group practices—All doctors practising in London were invited to say whether they
would like to work in group practice buildings provided by the Council, if these could be
found in suitable localities, and 29 groups expressed their willingness to do so. Of these,
seven groups consisted of less than four doctors, the minimum number felt by the Council
to be desirable to form a group. For some years a search was made to find premises for the
other groups but without success.
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