View report page

PREVENTION OF ILLNESS, CARE AND AFTER CARE
Under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, a local health
authority may make arrangements for the purpose of the prevention of illness, for
the care of persons suffering from illness and the after-care of such persons.
Proposals adopted by the Council cover a wide variety of services. Mental health
services provided under the Mental Health Act, 1959, are subject to provisions of
this Section and are dealt with in a later section of this Report.
TUBERCULOSIS
Arrangements for the provision of this service are shared between the Council
and the North East and North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Boards and
are based on the Chest Clinics. The Chest Physicians who supervise the work of
the four tuberculosis health visitors employed by the Council, one of whom resigned
in March, are responsible not only for all matters concerning diagnosis and treatment
but also for the local health authority care and after-care services. At present,
persons resident in Enfield and Edmonton are the responsibility of the Edmonton
Chest Clinic, situated at the North Middlesex Hospital, and those living in Southgate
are cared for by the Finchley Chest Clinic in the London Borough of Barnet.
This latter clinic will, however, be closed during 1967, and preparations have been
made for the Edmonton Clinic to serve the whole of the Borough.
The number of deaths from tuberculosis during the year was eight, of which
six were due to pulmonary tuberculosis.
During the year 3,983 persons attended the chest clinics for the first time and
were investigated for varying chest conditions.
Of these new patients 161 were cases of suspected respiratory tuberculosis
and 488 were their personal contacts. Sixty-nine of the suspected cases were confirmed
and notified while the remainder are still under observation. Four cases of
respiratory tuberculosis were found among the contacts.
Fifty-three cases of respiratory tuberculosis required treatment in hospital
and all but one were admitted to local hospital beds allocated to the chest clinics.
Sixteen cases of non-pulmonary tuberculosis were notified.
At the end of the year there were 2,300 patients on the tuberculosis registers.
It must be stressed that tuberculosis remains a serious disease and that the
present level of general improvement in its control and prevention in this country
affords no justification whatever for complacency.
40