View report page

Their duties are very varied but in general they inspect
premises when they have reason to suspect that unhygienic conditions
exist or are liable to occur and as a result, where necessary,
help educate the persons concerned or require them to remedy any
existing defects, if needs be by legal action.
It is an anomaly that in this District they are the only Officers
in the Health Service serving solely the local District Council, with
the inevitable risk of it being thought that they constitute a sel
contained unit. In practice they form a valuable part of a team
and the closest co-operation has always occurred locally, although
they can and do, on occasion, like other Health Officers, initiate
and complete desirable courses of action without other branches of
the Service necessarily being aware of their action. As anybody
with experience will know, this is inevitable and need not be
detrimental; complete liaison may be ideal and should be aimed
at, but its achievement in this life is impossible. Mutual respect
and trust, coupled with willing co-operation when possible is the
best practical substitute.
During 1956 the Inspectors received 866 complaints and altogether
paid a total of 17,727 visits, details of which are obtainable.
The nature of a number of these will be revealed in subsequent
sections or have been previously referred to in relation to
infectious disease enquiries and disinfection.
Here it can be noted that over half the complaints related to
rats and insect pests, about one third to the condition of property
and some 50 complaints were about foodstuffs. Similarly a general
impression of the causes of the visits can be given by the following
main headings, i.e. the condition of properties (over 6,000); pests
(4,500); shops and workplaces (about 1,250); food preparation and
sampling, (about 1,750); infectious diseases (251).
Some 2,500 visits can only be described as interviewing for
various purposes and the remaining 1,000 or so as touching a
miscellaneous variety of subjects.
As a result of these visits, some 568 drainage or sanitary
fittings were dealt with, 451 other housing defects remedied, and in
277 instances defects were remedied in food premises. Other
results will be deduced subsequently, e.g. in the sections on vermin
and food.