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Health Department,
Tottenham Town Hall,
The Green,
High Road,
Tottenham, N.15.
To: The Worshipful The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the London Borough of Haringey.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present the report on the health of the Borough of Haringey for the year ended 31 December
1970.
The report for 1969 described the introduction of the Directorate system and the effect of the new Social
Services legislation which transferred the responsibility for Mental Health Services, Day Nursery care and Home
Helps to the new Social Services Directorate, so that this report for 1970 divides the work of the Health
Department into three sections - Environmental Health; Personal Health and Infectious Diseases Control; and
School Health.
Faced with this reorganisation the Health Department nevertheless made notable progress. The work of the
Environmental Health Section increased considerably when the Council decided to accelerate the rate of inspection
of premises under Part III of the 1957 Housing Act with a view to completion of the inspection area programme
for the Borough by mid 1972. The improvement of houses under the Housing Act 1969 has proceeded apace. We
were pleased to note that the London Boroughs Association adopted the code of fire precautions for day nurseries
and child minders that was prepared by this Council's officers in consultation with the London Fire Services.
Progress has been made, too, with the arrangements for midwives to work in better association with the hospitals,
and with the attachment of nursing staff to general practitioners. The Chairman of the Health Committee,
Councillor Mrs. Levinson, arranged a series of useful meetings between general practitioners and Health Department
staff.
The Council's interest in Family Planning and especially in the Domiciliary Family Planning scheme should produce
long-term benefits. In a world of ever-increasing population the catch-phrase for the future may well be "every
child a wanted child" or as a recipe for the successful democrat instead of "one man one vote" we may one day
say "one man one child". The recent history of developing countries has shown that increasing national prosperity
can be used either to increase the population or to give a better quality of life to the individual; but increasing
prosperity seldom permits both.
The Health Committee opened the William C. Harvey School on the Broadwater Farm Estate in September where
accommodation was made available for 108 pupils. The school fills an important need because Haringey was the
only authority in the former Middlesex County Council without a junior training school. The new school
transferred to the Education Department on 1 April 1971.
During last year the Health Department has seen the transfer of many valuable officers to the Social Services
Directorate and at this stage of our history I must thank them for the loyal and conscientious service which they
have given to Haringey during its first six years, probably one of the most productive periods of public health
history in this part of London, and I would wish them every success in their new spheres of activity. I would like
to convey my thanks, too, to the Chief Executive and Directors, to the Head of Management Services and other
Heads of Service for their co-operation and assistance during the year.
In conclusion I wish to record my thanks to Councillor Mrs. Levinson, Chairman of the Health Committee and the
Members of the Committee for their encouragement and support. My thanks are especially due to the staff of the
Health Department for their loyal and efficient service during a year made difficult by reorganisation and frequent
staff changes.
I have the honour to be your obedient servant,
J.L. PATTON,
Medical Officer of Health