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Council all opportunity for initiative or enterprise in many fields,
including maternity and child welfare and care and after care of the
aged. It is to be greatly deplored that no step has been taken to
rectify this, since much could and should be done by means of
local experiment in the various fields that are at present subjugated
to the enormous administrative machine controlling the activities
of the Local Health Authority. Our artificial division of medicine
and preventive medicine into services maintained by Hospital
Boards, Executive Councils, Health Authorities, Local Sanitary
Authorities and Government Departments, all of whom are financed
almost entirely from general taxation, make it difficult to believe
that some more simple, more economical, and more effective
organisation could not be devised to provide a lively and comprehensive
medical service under one reasonably sized unit of
population. Personally, after much experience in a wide variety of
conditions I should have no hesitation in planning areas of 100,000
to 200,000 population with a few specialised services for really
large regions. Ealing would be an excellent area to handle its
own health services and it is to be hoped that its good record in
the past will enable it to claim an opportunity to return to its
proper function in the future. The problem of London government,
which of course covers all outer areas such as Ealing, could surely
be sorted out by a team of experienced local government officers,
and a 'new deal' made. The drift we are now experiencing is
inimical to the interests of the good administration upon which
must largely rest the welfare of the people.
Dr. H. Binysh, Deputy Medical Officer of Health, has
been appointed Deputy County Medical Officer of Health to
Staffordshire County Council, and this will be a great loss to the
department as Dr. Binysh has become extremely valuable in the
work of the Sanitary Service of the Borough Council in addition to
his work as Senior Assistant Medical Officer in charge of school
medical service work.
Naturally, we wish to extend our best wishes to Dr. Binysh
on his appointment and regret his loss to our department.
Changes in staff have been made during the year and to those
that have left us I wish to express my appreciation of their services
and for those who have joined the staff—welcome.
Once more may I express my appreciation of the work of the
staff of the Department during the year.
Your obedient servant,
W. G. BOOTH,
Medical Officer of Health.