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Owing to the policy of the County Health Committee in decentralizing
personal health services to correspond with borough boundaries, at
least two of our members—the Superintendent Health Visitor and the
Senior Education Welfare Officer—cover the same area, that of the
Borough of Barking. Strangely enough, the Rehousing Officer is
only responsible for a portion of the Borough owing to the fact that
the Becontree Housing Estate is managed by the London County
Council. During 1953 the N.S.P.C.C. Inspector was responsible for
Barking, most (but not all) of Dagenham, a part of West Ham and
a part of East Ham. The local office of the National Assistance Board
covers Barking and the southern portion of Ilford. The Children's
Visitor works from an office which covers that part of the County
lying in the Boroughs of Barking, Ilford and Dagenham, she herself
being responsible for Barking together with a portion of Ilford.
The Psychiatric Social Worker from the Child Guidance Clinic is
likewise responsible for Barking and a part of Ilford. The Duly
Authorised Officers work from an office in Romford which covers
Ilford, Barking, Dagenham and Romford. Three of these officers cover
the boroughs of Ilford and Barking, and any one of these three might
consequently deal with Barking cases. To complete the picture the
Probation Officers are attached to the Becontree Division, their
territory co iprising Walthamstow, Leyton, Ilford, Barking and
Dagenham.
THE AGED.
It is well known that our population is "ageing," the result largely
of a falling birth rate, a smaller proportion of children, and hence an
ncreased prortion of older folk.
The act ties of our public health service, however, have also
played their: part since more people now live into "old age." Sanitary
enginee. with provision of pure water supplies and sewage
disposal schemes, has eliminated such scourges as typhoid fever and
cholera. Our infant welfare services have reduced infant mortality
to less than; fth of what it was some 50 years ago, whilst deaths
Prom infectiou diseases other than tuberculosis are now rare. As a
suit expectatn of life has increased markedly. A baby boy born
in 1900 could expect to live on the average 44 years—whilst today his
expectation of life is 66 years. For the "weaker" sex, the average
life span has risen from 48 years to 71 years during the past half
Century. Whilst many more people are living into old age, however,
the old people liemselves are not living substantially longer. For
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