View report page

Health Office,
Gentleman's Row,
Enfield,
Middx.
June, 1973
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the London Borough of Enfield.
I have pleasure in presenting my report on the health of the borough for the year 1972.
The report follows the usual pattern in surveying in some detail the main activities of the Health
Department during the year, and is presented in three sections dealing with the three major aspects of
the work of the department — personal health, environmental health and school health.
I am glad to say that the vital statistics for the borough compare favourably with the national figures
and that there were only four deaths from respiratory tuberculosis and that the deaths from lung
cancer were slightly less than last year's figures — but still over 200 for the second successive year.
The year saw the beginning of the early stages of practical preparation for the reorganisation of the
National Health Service. A series of National Health Service Reorganisation Circulars began to be
issued from the Department of Health and Social Security and there was also a Report of the Working
Party on Medical Administrators and a Report on Management Arrangements for the Reorganised
Health Service which appeared to propose a most complicated form of management.
The National Health Service Reorganisation Bill was published, the purpose of which was to enact in
legislation the Government's proposals set out in the White Paper "National Health Service Reorganisation,
England", the intention of which primarily was to improve the service to the patient by
unifying the local administration of the National Health Service under new health authorities covering
the whole field of health care. The Bill, the main purposes of which are as follows, sets the framework,
but much of the detail will be dealt with in Regulations or Orders:
To unify the local administration of the National Health Service under new health authorities
covering the whole field of health care; to provide means in each area of representing the
interests of the community; to ensure that the views of the health professions are given full
weight in the planning and management of services; to continue the National Health Service
responsibility for providing facilities in support of the medical and dental teaching functions
of universities; to provide for collaboration between the National Health Service and the
services for which local authorities are responsible and between the National Health Service
and voluntary organisations; to provide for the establishment of Health Service Commissioners
for England and for Wales to investigate complaints against Health Service Authori
ties.
Once again I am indebted and grateful to members of the department for their invaluable help in
preparing this report and for their loyal and diligent support during the year.
I would also like to record my grateful appreciation of the support and encouragement of the
Chairman, Vice-chairman and members of the Health and other Committees of the Council and the
willing co-operation of colleagues in other departments.
WILLIAM D. HYDE
Medical Officer of Health
Principal School Medical Officer
1