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17
forms part of South Essex Health Area which includes also Thurrock
and Brentwood.
A review of the position is likely to be made in 1950. It would
be misleading to regard all County Districts as being in the same
category, since clearly those districts which have been permitted to
function as separate areas have been delegated some greater degree
of responsibility than others which have been coalesced to perform
the same functions. There must, I think, be close consultation on
major matters between all the authorities responsible in whatever
measure for implementing the Act if the very considerable difficulties
patent in a measure of the kind, are to be surmounted with a
minimum of upset. Even though it has been argued at some length
that the opportunities of a Medical Officer of Health on the strictly
environmental side of hygiene have never been greater, and that he
may in fact now be coming into his own, I think that it would be a
great pity both from the point of view of the implementation of
the Act, the local authority served by the M.O.H., and last but by
no means least, the public for whom the Act was designed, if in
fact every Medical Officer of Health, be he concerned with a rural
district or any other form of authority, is not so absorbed as to form
part of the general mosaic.
The two years' verdict on both the general and local effects of
the Act should make interesting reading and should prove profitable
in the designing of future plans, always of course presuming that
the two years noted has in fact been sufficiently long to permit of
any accurate conclusions being drawn.
Office Accommodation.
During the year the Department was moved from its former
site to other accommodation in close proximity to the main Council
Offices.
Staff.
Details of the Public Health Officers of the Authority are outlined
at the beginning of this report.
It was agreed during the year that a further Additional Sanitary
Sanitary Inspector should be appointed.
Miss D. K. Manning, Diphtheria Immunisation Assistant, was
automatically transferred to the Local Health Authority (Essex
County Council) with effect from 5th July, 1948, although at the
end of the year this service was still being conducted from these
premises pending the acquisition of property for use as an Area
Health Office.
Chiropodists' Services.
The local Council has been interested in the chiropodist facilities
available to the public and but for this service coming within
the scope of the Local Health Authority after the 5th July, would
undoubtedly have provided such a service, at any rate, a short time