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5
Madam Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
It is with some satisfaction that I have again to
report to the Council that the general picture of health
in the Borough during the past year is one of which we
can be well pleased. The following basic figures give us
cause for some congratulation, Infant Mortality Rate 16
per 1,000, Maternal Mortality 0.3. Anyone aware of the
comparable position (Infant Mortality Rate 55 and Maternal
Mortality 2.3) a generation ago (1926) will understand
the significance of this in terms of human misery, apart
from the cost of services provided to deal with the
problems we then faced.
Education of the population has undoubtedly been one
of the greatest factors in the general improvement of
nutrition and health amongst the community as a whole and
the Council's health services have persistently and
patiently pursued the path of the dissemination of knowledge
on health matters through clinics, schools and
house to house visitation of health visitors. These
services so well established in the 30's and 40's have
now been broadened into the environmental services of the
Local Sanitary Authorities by the agency of the Councils
staff of Health Inspectors. More and more their work has
become educational, and in Ealing we have found their
great value. All of them are keenly interested in the
patiently progressive programme of education in the
important fields of Clean Food and Clean Air, and Infectious
diseases. It is indeed a token of the high standard
of work done in the Clean Food field that we have a
constant flow of visitors from overseas health departments
to see the novel methods and materials used in your health
department.
I am well aware of the fact that the Public Health
Committee are very appreciative of the work done in this
department, and the loss that has been sustained by the
reduction of senior staff by the retirement of the Chief
Health Inspector and the loss of the post of Deputy
Chief Health Inspector, Not only did this mean the
losing of an opportunity to provide some administrative
training for a chief technical officer within our own
service, but also placed an extremely heavy burden upon
the Chief Inspector's shoulders. This loss is still being
felt, and it is hoped that the Borough Council will
appreciate the desirability of making such an appointment