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64
The main building is structurally sound. The floors, of wooden
blocks, are in good condition throughout, and the walls, except
in the room formerly used as a Committee Room, are tiled to a
height of 5 ft. with dismal, dark-brown coloured tiles.
Internally the premises have the inhospitable and severe
"institutional" appearance and atmosphere characteristic of
barracks and Board of Guardians' institutions of the time and
they lack many desirable features and amenities we expect to find
in modern health centres.
Although the main building is large, so much of the accommodation
is devoted to the large central waiting hall that the accommodation
available for actual clinic purposes is relatively small. On
each side of the hall there are three rooms available for clinics,
but none is sufficiently large to justify it being considered ideal as
a room to serve either as a school minor-ailment clinic or as a
weighing room for infants and toddlers.
With regard to situation, the premises have the great
advantage that they are so easily accessible to such a large and
densely-populated area of the Borough. On the other hand, they
are more than 400 yards from the nearest 'bus route and could
not be considered suitable for the establishment of a main health
centre with specialist clinics to serve the whole Borough.
Notwithstanding these deficiencies, I consider that the building
can be adapted to provide accommodation for a subsidiary health
centre as adequate as could be expected in any building not
specially designed for the purpose.
The adjoining house is well-built and in good condition and
could be used to provide residential accommodation for members
of the staff until such time as the housing situation becomes less
acute.
The large vacant piece of ground* to the east of the main
building could be used to provide accommodation for future
extensions of health services.
I am of opinion that the main building could more easily and
at less cost be adapted as a health centre for use by local medical
practitioners under the provisions of Part IV of the National Health
Service Act, 1946; but I am informed that the County Council
do not propose to consider its allocation for that purpose at present.
Under the circumstances I suggest that it should be adapted for
use as a subsidiary health centre to accommodate the combined
health services of the Health and Education Authorities.