View report page

3. HEALTH CENTRES
The provision of Health Centres was an integral part of the National Health Service
when first planned. Such centres were to be provided by local authorities and from
them would function their own services, together with general practitioner, general
dental, pharmaceutical and hospital specialist or other out-patient services. Although
Section 22 of the Act made it a duty to provide Health Centres, in practice few have
materialized.
I am aware of the many difficulties which would have to be surmounted before a
centre could be provided in the Borough, but I feel that the prize merits the effort.
Over the next 10 years the Council will need to replace many of its health clinics
and it has adopted the following plan in respect of this:—
"Health Clinics (providing only Local Authority services) should be
replaced by Health Centres (providing Local Authority and General Practitioner
services).
It may be that the general practitioners in the catchment area of a clinic
about to be replaced are reluctant at that stage to co-operate in such a scheme.
In this case land should be set aside and the design of the building should be
such that it allows later addition of accommodation suitable for use by general
practitioners."
With this resolution in mind, a sub-committee of the Personal Health Services
Committee will shortly begin a series of exploratory discussions with interested
persons and organizations in the Borough.
I am hopeful that they will reveal a willingness to enter into partnership with the
Council in the provision of a first centre.
19