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physical, mental and emotional defects, and the vital part to be played by assessment
centres for handicapped children in which there would be close liaison between
hospital staff, local health and education authority staff, and the family doctor.
We have continued to take part in research projects in co-operation with family
doctors, the Medical Research Council and other research units.
Two such investigations relate to those distressing conditions, anencephalus and
spina bifida, into which several concurrent investigations are taking place in various
countries to try, inter alia, to explain the marked national variations in incidence
which would appear to be due to genetic as well as intra-uterine and environmental
influences.
The year saw attention focussed on a plethora of significant reports on local
government management, social services re-organisation, health service administration
and medical education.
Whatever one's views may be on the contents and conclusions of these documents,
I am firmly convinced that each must not be considered in isolation and that
it would be unwise to come to any final conclusions on their implementation before
all the relevant repercussions and implications of these inter-related documents have
been fully assessed and considered as a whole. Only by such comprehensive evaluation
can a profitable and coherent plan for the future be fully realised.
Indeed, in support of this opinion, there were indications at the end of the
year that revised ideas were being considered in high quarters. Whatever emerges,
it is to be hoped that re-organisation will be such that reliance will not require to
be placed on the multitude of liaison committees which have prevailed in the past
in an attempt to uphold an inadequate re-organisation.
Of the new legislation during the year, the Health Services and Public Health
Act, 1968, and the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations, 1968, were of
particular interest. The Act, much of which came into operation during the year,
dealt with aspects of the hospital service; services provided by local health authorities,
such as midwifery, health visiting, district nursing, prophylaxis, care and after-care,
home helps, laundry facilities, and charges for various services; general medical,
dental, ophthalmic and pharmaceutical services; welfare of old people; notifiable
diseases and food poisoning; registration of nurseries and child minders; finance and
miscellaneous provisions. The Regulations consolidated with amendments all previous
Regulations relating to the notification and prevention of infectious disease
except the Public Health (Prevention of Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1925. Reference
to particular provisions of this legislation is made in the text of my report.
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