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South East London general practitioner centre—The South East London general
practitioner centre established by the Council at Queen's Road, Camberwell, which was
officially opened in February 1961 by Lord Cohen of Birkenhead, provides general
practitioners with facilities for diagnosis, treatment and minor operations which they do
not possess in their own surgeries and with a range of subsidiary services, including organised
discussion groups, lectures and a well-equipped commonroom. The Council provides
and maintains the premises, supplies the furniture and non-specialist equipment, nursing,
health visiting and secretarial staff. Financial assistance was given by the Nuffield Foundation
towards the cost of adaptations and equipment and by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust in
respect of the Director's salary. The South East Metropolitan Regional Board and the
Camberwell Hospital Management Committee provide the specialist equipment, staff and
consultants for the radiological and pathological departments. The College of General
Practitioners supported the project and gave invaluable advice and assistance during the
planning stages.
Revision of the Council's policy—Long standing restrictions on capital expenditure and
the unwillingness of general practitioners to engage in group practice from a health centre
precluded the provision of further health centres. These problems were discussed on many
occasions with the London Executive Council and with the Ministry of Health; the
Minister finally advised the Council in 1955 that he would be unable to approve of the
erection of health centres except in areas of new development where existing health services,
including general medical services, were inadequate and provided that local doctors agreed
to practise from them. In view of this and the practical difficulties in securing the vital
co-operation of general practitioners in the provision of general medical services from
health centres, the Council decided that it would be unrealistic and, because of the shortage
of land in London, undesirable to continue the policy of long term reservation of health
centre sites. The London Executive Council's suggestion was accepted that any housing
development on these sites should be constructed so that ground floors could readily be
converted to accommodation for general practitioners if required later.
The Council has subsequently been willing to assist general practitioners wherever
practicable to establish group practices in one of two ways:
(i) to provide a building as the first instalment of the health centre and if a group were
anxious to adopt this method in an area of new development the Council would
give the proposal sympathetic consideration; and
(ii) to provide accommodation in a housing block at an economic rent on the same
basis as a practitioner who might be provided with a surgery by the Council if
he were displaced by housing development.
It has been open to any doctors to approach the Council on these matters through the
London Executive Council and the London Local Medical Committee, with whom the
Council has worked in the closest co-operation.
Maternity and child welfare and school treatment centres
It was apparent at the outset that many years would elapse before designed buildings
could be erected in sufficient numbers to replace the improvised clinic accommodation to
which reference has been made. To safeguard the future of the service, whenever opportunity
arose the freehold or leasehold interest has been secured in the more satisfactory buildings
and table (v) shows that the service relies much less now than in 1948 on rented premises.
Improved alternative accommodation has been obtained to enable centres functioning in
very unsuitable premises to be closed.
Progress has also been made in providing new or improved accommodation for school
health service purposes. In suitable cases the opportunity has been taken of incorporating
some school health services in maternity and child welfare centres, so as to achieve fuller
integration of the two services.
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