London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Leyton 1961

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]

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School Medical Service (Cont)Specialist Clinics - E.N.T.
- Ophthalmic
- Orthoptic
- Orthopaedic
Speech Clinics
Medical Inspections in schools arranged.
Dental ServiceDental Surgeons Clinic Sessions
Dental Hygienist Clinic Sessions
Dental Inspections in schools arranged.
Chiropody ServiceClinics
Domiciliary visits arranged.

Much of the value and strength of Leyton's Health Services is dependent on their
staffing and organisation. The policy has evolved of creating a team of workers at each
clinic consisting of medical officers, dental officers, health visitors, school nurses,
chiropodist and others. This results in continuity of care for families in the clinic
catchment areas, and as a large and increasing amount of modern public health is
concerned with family health it is important that wherever possible all those working
with the family should themselves be part of an active team.
Experience has shown that liaison and co-operation between Medical Officers, Dental
Officers, Chiropodists, Health Visitor/School Nurses is greatly facilitated when they
work as a team from a clinic with a common catchment area.
The only field service for which this Committee is at present responsible which
is not operated from the clinic is the Domestic Help Service and there would be many
advantages to be gained if it were organised as a more integral part of the services
which are based at the clinic, and the committee decided to operate the Domestic Help
Service from the clinics early in 1962 on a trial basis.
POSSIBLE FUTURE SERVICES
Some services are already provided from the clinics for handicapped children,
problem families and the elderly which no doubt will be further developed in the future.
When dental auxiliaries become available it will probably be possible to provide
an improved child dental care service.
Additional health services, mainly including mental health and home nursing will
become a local administrative responsibility at some future date either as a result of
some form of delegation under the Local Government Act, 1958 or by some form of
implementation of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Local Government in the
Greater London Region.
Welfare Services similarly will also, no doubt, be administered locally; and it
is hoped that they will be organised so as to co-operate closely with the health
services.
(42)