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SECTION II
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES SECTION
The Personal Health Services are the local health authority's
functions under the National Health Service Act which almost
twenty years ago, provided for a complete medical service, covering
Hospital, General Practitioners, Dental, Ophthalmic, Pharmaceutical
Services etc. The close co-operation between the
services envisaged when the Act was first adopted, was to be
by the provision of Health Centres by the local health authority
from which general medical practitioners,dentists, ophthalmic
practitioners, pharmacists would practise, side by side with local
health authority services and specialist clinics in the same
building. Some Health Centres have been established throughout
the county, including one at Harold Hill in the Borough, but the
concept of Health Centres in all built-up areas in the country, all
within easy reach of the population to be served, and each
providing a full range of services for the locality did not materialise.
Nevertheless, co-operation between the Hospitals, General
Practitioners and local health authority service have advanced
considerably since 1948, with local authority health visiting
midwifery and home nursing staff attached to group practiceswhere
this proves possible, and with a ready exchange of
information. Interest in the provision of Health Centres in
growing, and a number of general practitioners in the Borough
have recently intimated that they would be prepared to consider
transferring to Health Centres if such were provided.' The
Ministry have indicated that loan sanction would not be withheld
for Health Centres planned in new areas of development or in
areas where there is a demand from general medical practitioners
for Health Centre facilities to be provided. Possibly, therefore
the next twenty years will show a greater advance in the provision
of Health Centres under Section 21 of National Health Service
than has been evident to date, leading to even closer co-operation
between the various services provided under the Act, with, it is
hoped, a consequential improvement in the already high standard
of services to the public.
The Local Health Authority Services provided under the
other relevant Sections of the Act, have, since 1948, all been
expanded and extended considerably. Some extensions have
resulted from new discoveries, poliomyelitis vaccine and other
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