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Welfare Officer is similarly reluctant to admit them to welfare hostels
as their medical condition renders them more infirm than the hostel
can cope with. These old people can become acutely ill quickly and
are a source of continual anxiety for those caring for them in their own
homes. Although they do not always require nursing attention, there
appears to be a need for them to be admitted to some form of old
people's home attached to a hospital where they can be visited by
the hospital Specialist and transferred if necessary to the hospital
proper. In the Finchley area these cases are dealt with jointly by the
Hospital Geriatric Specialist, the Area Welfare Worker and the
Medical Officer of Health, who frequently visit the old person's house
in order to decide whether hospital, hostel or home treatment is the
best in any particular case.
The common infectious diseases are no longer an important cause
of death. During the year there were no deaths from Diphtheria,
Whooping Cough, Measles, Typhoid Fever or Poliomyelitis. Indeed
there has been no case of Diphtheria in the Borough since 1946. It
should be remembered that before immunisation of children against
this disease began, cases were numerous. In 1940 there were 42 cases,
and in 1930, there were 96 cases. The continuation of immunisation
is obviously most important. Deaths still occur from Tuberculosis,
but the case rate of 5.44 per 10,000 population is the lowest recorded
in the Borough. The Mass Radiography Unit helps to discover early
cases and enables successful treatment to be undertaken.
The statutory change in the designation from Sanitary Inspector
to Public Health Inspector has been made to conform with the
gradual change in the employment and increasing responsibilities of
these officers in environmental health. Their statutory duties were
added to during the year by the introduction of new Food Hygiene
Regulations which came into operation in January. The Regulations
are aimed at preventing the spread of food poisoning, the rapid
increase in which has caused concern during the last few years. The
Regulations enforce higher standards of cleanliness in all food establishments
and include the provision of hot water and hand washing
basins in premises selling open food. Although this involved the
owners in some expenditure, I am pleased to report that Finchley
traders accepted the new requirements conscientiously. To survey
the premises covered by the Regulations, the Public Health Inspectors
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