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For these reasons it is the policy of this department to maintain the highest
possible degree of communication with all people who are in touch with those in need,
and Leyton may indeed be proud of the excellent relationships which exist between the
staff of the Health Services and the General Practitioners, the schools and with many
voluntary organisations. Good though they are there is still much more to be achieved
in increasing the number of links with the public at risk, and stimulating an even
better flow of information and help along them.
It is particularly to be hoped that progress will be made in this way in helping
older people. It is the older person, frequently living alone, who more than any others
is not receiving help. In the first place the decline in abilities and amenities has
been so gradual that there is no awareness by the patient just how great their need is;
how much anaemia or vitamin deficiency, failing senses, or lack of communication with
others has taken the joy out of life. In the second place the very lack of communication
has meant that no member of the public has felt it to be their business to take the
necessary steps for help to be made available. Finally the state of mind of the old
person may well have become that of not wanting help in any form, or at least not in
the only forms in which it is possible to offer it.
Everyone is entitled to their own point of view, but also compassion must take
account of how much a point of view is conditioned by circumstances. One must allow for
the desire to maintain a feeling of security by trying to prevent any change, the
desire to keep up a facade of self-respect by appearing to be able to manage one's own
affairs, jealousy of those who have full command of all their faculties, or even of
those who are enjoying benefits of all kinds not available to the previous generation.
It can be bitterly hard to cope with being old.
It is the aim of all our staff, helped by other workers, statutory or voluntary,
by neighbours, friends, and intimate family, to help in softening the distrust or false
pride which makes an old person refuse help, until help is at first accepted and then
welcomed and a new self respect emerges from the feeling of being wanted, however faint
this feeling may be.
A new feature during the year was the Child Guidance Clinic in Dawlish Road which
has taken over the work done for Leyton by the walthamstow Clinic and taken on more
beside. A point of particular interest about this is that the Child Psychiatrist has a
joint appointment which includes part-time at Whipps Cross Hospital as well as parttime
at the Clinic.
This is a field in which Leyton is in the fore-front of progress as it has so often
been in the past. Joint appointments of Psychiatrists partly in hospital and partly in
the community are rare but there is no doubt that this is the pattern for the future.
The mentally distressed and anxious patient more than any other needs continuity of
care and it is highly desirable that the same person should have charge of treatment
both in the community and in hospital. Even more is this true when the patient is a
child.
Progress in improving the environment continues. During the year the Leyton Smoke
Control Order No.2 came into operation and Order No.3 was declared by the Council, the
Leyton Avenue Road/Morris Road Clearance Area was represented and the Public Local
Inquiry in respect of the second stage of the Beaumont Road Area completed the work of
this department as far as the clearance of the area is concerned. Details of these and
the many other facets of the work of the Public Health inspectorate are set out in the
section by the Chief Public Health inspector which is included in this report.
I am grateful to all members of the staff for their work during the year and to
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