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CO-OPERATION AND LIAISON
No report on the work of this department would be complete
without a warm tribute being paid to the help that we are so
rapidly given by all the Social Agencies in the area.
Much of the work on problem families could not be successful
without the close co-operation and understanding of Inspector Riley
and his staff of the N.S.P.C.C.—so close is this co-operation that
we might well consider him to be a member of the Health Department
staff !
No request for help goes unanswered from the Personal Service
Council, the W.V.S. and the Children's Department. Their
willing assistance at all times greatly facilitates the overcoming of
the socio-economic problems that go hand in hand with those of the
health of the family.
During the year there have been two meetings of the General
Practitioners and medical and nursing staff of the department. We
discussed the problems of the aged and the possibilities of a future
clinic for old people run by the department. At the second meeting
the proposals for Poliomyelitis vaccination and the present state of
knowledge on Poliomyelitis were reviewed.
These informal meetings encourage the closer co-operation
between the two branches of the health service, and serve to increase
the personal contact between the staff and the Practitioners.
I would like to thank the Practitioners in the area for the
help they have given to me and my staff, and particularly for
their readiness to call in the help of the health visitors where they
feel they can be of service.
I should like to see closer hospital liaison in the area particularly
between doctors and health visitors and hospital departments.
Following a circular addressed to all hospitals admitting child
patients from Dagenham there has been an increase in letters
recording hospital admissions and discharges as far as children are
concerned, but there are still gaps which could be filled either by
visits to the hospital by one of my staff to bring back reports from
the specialists and take to the hospital knowledge of the home
conditions, or by routine admission and discharge notes sent to
me from the hospital.
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