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Courses and Study Days
In 1972 the Section assisted the Family Planning Association in running a Government sponsored two-day
Family Planning Appreciation Course for health visitors, to which social workers were also invited.
A two-day course on "The Detection of Hearing Defects in the Infant and Pre-School Child" was also held for
health visitors. This is the third course of its kind to be organised by the Section under the direction of Dr. L.
Fisch, the Consultant Otologist, at Tottenham Audiology Unit.
Dr. Fisch, the staff of the Department and two peripatetic teachers gave lectures and demonstrations, held at
Tottenham Town Hall, the Audiology Unit and the Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf.
This Course which included health visitors from surrounding local authorities was financially self-supporting.
Food Hygiene Courses
In 1973 a series of talks on personal and food hygiene has been given to the domestic staff at the Prince of
Wales's and St. Ann's Hospitals at the request of the domestic supervisor and in co-operation with the hospital
pathologist.
This series is similar to previous courses run in 1969 and 1970.
Medical Receptionists' Course
A two year course for medical receptionists has commenced at Tottenham College of Technology and, as part
of the course, six lectures on the School Health Service were given by the Health Education Officer, who also
gives lectures on the Health Services for the Medical Secretaries Course at the College.
Health Education in Schools
As a result of a questionnaire sent to all primary and secondary schools by the Education Service to assess the
amount and nature of sex education being carried out in schools, a working party was set up to plan health
education in-service training for teachers. The Principal School Medical Officer and the Health Education
Officer acted in an advisory capacity to the working party consisting of head teachers, educational advisers, and
lecturers from All Saints College of Education.
A course of nine lectures entitled "Growing Up in Contemporary Society" was arranged at the Teachers'
Centre for the Spring Term of 1973.
Associated with the course was a one-day conference at which the section displayed the Health Services
audio-visual aids. The section supplied statistics and other relevant information throughout the course.
78 teachers from 27 schools attended. The lecturers were from London University, All Saints College of
Education, and the fields of medicine and health education.
During and since the course teachers have increasingly used the section's facilities and sought advice on syllabuses
and health education projects. It is hoped that the Education Service will continue to promote similar courses.
The Health Education Officer and other members of the Department continue to give talks in schools. The
number of talks has declined but this is a reflection of a deliberate policy to encourage teachers to plan their
own health education into the curriculum and for the section to provide the knowledge and an occasional
expert to supplement the teachers' programmes. This has been facilitated by the course previously mentioned.
Subjects often used as vehicles for health education topics are home economics, human biology, the humanities
and junior science.
In the autumn of 1972 a health education project was commenced in Northumberland Park Comprehensive
School. This new school, with then no equipment for practical work in home economics, decided to use some
of the home economic periods for health education. A series of six talks related to home economics, included as
topics, first aid, home safety, food hygiene, nutrition and human development.
The school population consisted, at that time, of eight groups of 22-25 first year boys and girls of mixed
ability. This involved the Health Education Officer in 48 talks spread over the school year.
A PTA meeting was held explaining the syllabus, and from this followed a further talk on the misuse of drugs.
A research fellow from Enfield College of Technology is monitoring the development of the school over the
next four years, and has recorded some of the health education sessions together with both PTA meetings.
Health education will be planned into the curriculum as these children progress through the school.
The Health Education Council are interested in the series and arranged for Radio London to broadcast a part
of the session on "Safety in the Kitchen". Other talks given in schools covered a variety of topics concerning
dental health, drugs including alcoholism and smoking, first aid, food hygiene, sex education including
child development, ante-natal and post-natal care, contraception, venereal diseases, Local Authority and National
Health Services.
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