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apparatus and the special room, I am of the opinion that consideration should be given by the
Council to adapting one or more Council-owned houses in the Borough where the necessary
apparatus would be installed at which patients would attend and undergo treatment two or three
times per week on a rota basis. This would enable the maximum use to be made of the expensive
equipment and would avoid costly alterations and adaptations at patient's own homes with all the
attendant problems this involves.
A fully trained nurse would be in charge of the "Dialysis Centre". To cope with emergencies she
would be resident with a flat on the first floor, the ground floor rooms being adapted for dialysis
purposes.
This suggestion was being actively pursued at the end of 1969.
HEALTH CENTRES
In 1966 the Council agreed to co-operate fully with the general medical practitioners in the
Borough in providing Health Centres wherever there was sufficient demand from the local medical
practitioners. Discussions between the Medical Officer of Health and the local medical practitioners
have taken place on a number of occasions, but apart from the two special schemes referred
to below, no firm request has yet been received from the medical practitioners for a centre. In
anticipation of future needs, the Council acquired a property and land adjoining the Welfare
Centre in the Broadway, Bexleyheath, which together offer a good site of adequate size for a
future Health Centre at which general medical and dental and local health authority services can be
provided. The two projects which are going ahead are at Thamesmead and Erith.
THAMESMEAD
At Thamesmead a temporary health centre came into use in mid-1969 with essential minimum
facilities for general medical and general dental care for the early residents on Stages I and II of the
Thamesmead project.
The Centre comprises four timber units combined to provide two doctors'consulting rooms, a
nurses' treatment room, a room for a health visitor or social worker, office, waiting area, dental
surgery and dental workshop.
The temporary centre is to be replaced by a permanent building which is expected to open in
1971. This building will have comprehensive facilities for both general medical and general dental
care, together with the local health authority services. (See plans on pages 48 and 49).
The permanent Thamesmead health centre is unique in that it will provide facilities for medical
and dental students to attend as part of their training at Guy's Hospital. The planning of the
centres and the whole of the health services for Thamesmead has been done jointly by the Bexley
London Borough Council, Guy's Hospital, the South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board,
the Executive Council for South East London and Kent, together with Greenwich London
Borough Council and the London Executive Council as the later stages of the Thamesmead
project are situated in Greenwich.
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