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GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES.
Hospitals.
The remarks contained in my Annual Report for
1957 relating to the provision of hospital services
remain more or less unaltered. No difficulty has
been encountered in the admission of maternity cases
to hospital, either on social or on medical grounds.
The admission of infectious diseases cases,
mostly to Coppetts Wood Hospital, together with the
admission of acute medical or surgical cases to general
hospitals, also presented no real problems. Unfortunately,
the obstacles in the way of the admission of the
type of case commonly known as the "elderly chronic
sick" have not yet been wholly overcome. As I have
said before, Friern Barnet is rather fortunate in this
respect, as the hospitals to which our geriatric cases
are referred have excellent geriatric services. until
this problem is finally solved, however, - and it is a
problem which is increasing year by year - we cannot
and should not abate our efforts to ensure that beds
are readily available for old people who require admission
to hospital. This is a gap, an increasing
gap, in our social services which must, on every ground,
be closed.
Care of the Aged.
I have once again been privileged to take part
in the work of the Friern Barnet Old People's Welfare
Committee. As Medical Officer of Health, I cannot
speak too highly of the work of this Committee, which,
in my submission, is in many ways a model of its kind.
As Medical Officer of Health and Area Medical Officer,
I endeavour, in every way practicable to link the
statutory services of which I am in control with the
work of the Old People's Welfare Committee. On the
other hand, I am very sensible that the Old People's
Welfare Committee has been able in many ways to assist
the statutory services, by providing those little extras
which do not lie within the province either of the local
authority or of the local health authority. Year by
year, I realise more forcibly the value of old People's
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