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PERSONAL HEALTH
For other illnesses, infectious diseases, etc.: Application will usually be made by the hospital
concerned, or by a doctor through the Emergency Bed Service.
Maternity patients not booked at a hospital should call a doctor or a midwife. For booked patients,
dial "999", ask for "Ambulance", and, when connected, give name and address and state the hospital
at which the patient is booked.
Enquiries on general matters: Telephone (01) 928 0333, extension 321, or write to the Chief Ambulance
Officer, London Ambulance Service Fleadquarters, 220 Waterloo Road, S.E.1. 8SD.
The foregoing information was provided by Dr. A.B. Stewart, Medical Adviser to the Greater London
Council, and by Mr. W.E. Cooke, Chief Ambulance Officer, to both of whom I record my thanks
Section 12
Health Services
and Public
Health Act 1968
Prophylaxis, care and after-care
A local health authority may make arrangements for the purposes of the prevention of illness, for the
care of persons suffering from illness, and for the after-care of such persons.
Tuberculosis
Chest clinic
service
Arrangements for the provision of this service are shared between the Council and the North East
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. The chest clinic is situated at the North Middlesex Hospital and
there are chest wards at North Middlesex and Highlands Hospitals. Dr. Vernon Davies, Dr. R.H.
Elphinstone and Dr. E.N. O'Brien continued to be responsible for the consultant work, and I am
grateful to Dr. Vernon Davies for supplying me with the detailed information on which this part of
the report is based.
The Chest Physician, who supervises the work of the tuberculosis visitors employed by the Council, is
responsible not only for all matters concerning diagnosis and treatment but also for the local health
authority care and after-care services. The chest clinic service provides facilities for the investigation
and treatment of all forms of chest disease.
An important aspect of the work of the chest clinic is the follow-up and examination of contacts of
new cases of tuberculosis. Of the 65 new notified respiratory cases (all children), nine were found
among the 577 new contacts examined during the year, four being in one family. One of the new
infectious respiratory cases was undergoing training at a Government training centre and a technical
college and it was found that he had been in contact with 302 people, many of whom had moved to
other parts of the country.
Home
visiting
Two tuberculosis visitors continued to work from the chest clinic, visiting tuberculous and nontuberculous
patients at home.
Non-tuberculous
chest disease
The chest clinic continued its work in the larger field of non-tuberculous chest disease, including
bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and carcinoma of the lung.
Medical
arrangements
for long stay
immigrants
Arrangements to cover the special problems which may arise in connection with the health and
medical treatment of long stay immigrants to this country include a procedure for notifying local
authorities in order to ensure that long stay immigrants register with general medical practitioners at
an early stage in their life in this country and do not wait until they become ill. It is hoped that those
for whom it is appropriate will accept an X-ray examination at an early stage. During the year, the
names of 489 long-stay immigrants, resident in the London Borough of Enfield, were notified.
Commonwealth
Immigrants
Act 1968
There was one instance of a child arriving in Enfield subject to the condition (under the Commonwealth
Immigrants Act 1968) that she report to the Medical Officer of Health with a view to further
medical examination. In two other cases, referral to a chest clinic for further investigation was
recommended by the medical officer at the airport after the person had been X-rayed on arrival.
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