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CO-ORDINATION OF SERVICES.
Co-ordination and co-operation of the Health Department services with
family doctor and hospital services occurs at a number of levels.
At Committee level there is cross-representation of members and officers.
For example the Chairman of the Health Committee serves on the Regional
Hospital Board. The Vice Chairman among others serves on the Executive Council
and the Medical Officer of Health and members of the Health Committee serve
on Hospital Management Committees.
Hospital Management Committee members from two Management Committees
are co-opted on to the Health Committee.
The Medical Officer of Health attends the meetings of the Local Medical
Committee and a family doctor is co-opted on to the Health Committee.
At officer level there are links through the Medical Officer of Health
with the Hospital Medical Advisory and Staff Committees and the Medical Officer
of Health serves on the area Committee of the Association of Hospital
Management Committees.
One Consultant from the hospital for mentally subnormal, visits the
Borough and sees subnormals at the request of the Health Department.
One specialist visitor (Geriatric Liaison Officer) on the staff of the
Medical Officer of Health is responsible for acting as liaison between
the geriatric units - the family doctors and the Local Authority services.
Health Visitors work in a health centre where a group of family doctors
attend and carry on Infant Welfare Clinics there.
The services of Health Visitors, District Nurses and Midwives are placed
at the disposal of the family doctors as requested, the contact being made
either through the Senior Nursing Staff or directly with the nursing staff
concerned.
Meetings between Local Health Authority Medical Officers of Health and
family doctors who carry out clinics in the area are held at which common
problems and new projects are discussed.
LOCAL AUTHORITY SOCIAL SERVICES ACT 1970
A great deal of time was taken up in 1970 planning the measures needed
to implement the above Act which, inter-alia, provided for the setting up of
Social Services Committees and the transfer to the new Departments of functions
relating to the day care of pre-school children, in day nurseries and nursery
groups, the registration of private nurseries and child minders, the provision
of mother and baby homes, recuperative holidays, the home help service, the night
sitter service and the mental health services, all previously provided through
the Health Committee and Health Department. These functions together with the
powers and duties of the Children's Committee and the Welfare Committee were to
be brought together into a Social Services Department under the leadership of
a Director of Social Services.
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