View report page

The Future of the Chest Services
A copy of a report on the chest services by a sub-committee of the standing
advisory committee of the Central Health Services Council was enclosed with
Ministry of Health Circular 27/68.
The report mainly endorsed and expanded the advice of an earlier report, and
organisation on the lines recommended and the suggested evolution of chest clinics
into chest departments of general hospitals have already been implemented in
Enfield.
The report gave advice on routine chest radiography during the ante-natal
period.
Medical Arrangements for Long-Stay Immigrants
Arrangements to cover the rather special problems which arise in connection
with the health and treatment of long-stay immigrants to this country were set out
in Ministry of Health Circular C.M.O. 1/65. In consultation with representatives
of the medical profession and of local authorities, the Minister decided that the
following steps be taken :
(a) At ports of arrival long-stay immigrants, both commonwealth and alien,
who are referred to medical inspectors, will be given a hand-out printed in
languages which they are likely to understand, the aim of which is to
encourage them to get on to the list of a medical practitioner in their
place of residence so that (if he thinks it desirable) he can arrange for them
to go to a mass radiography unit, a chest clinic or a hospital for X-ray.
(b) Long-stay immigrants who are referred to medical inspectors at the ports
will also be asked to provide their destination addresses and these will be
sent to the Medical Officer of Health of the county or county borough
concerned with a request that he should try to persuade the immigrants
to act on the advice thev have been given in the hand-out. Medical Officers
of Health and local officers of the Ministry of Social Security will also be
supplied with copies of the hand-out in case they come into contact with
immigrants who have not received one or apparently lost it.
(c) Arrangements are made in respect of those dependants who obtain entry
certificates in their country of origin for their names and destination
addresses to be entered on a tear-off slip in their passports. This slip will
be detached by the immigration authorities and passed to the medical
inspectors so that the port medical officer can send the address on to the
appropriate Medical Officer of Health in the same way as in the case of
holders of Ministry of Labour vouchers.
49