London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Orpington 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Orpington]
This page requires JavaScript
13
The changing hazards of present day life are illustrated by the
decline in deaths from tuberculosis, the figure this year being the
smallest ever to be recorded in the Urban District, and, in contrast,
by the increasing importance of road deaths, which reached the
highest level of any year for which records are available.
Morbidity Statistics.
The following is a summary of the weekly details received from the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance during 1960:—
| Four weeks ending | Number of First Certificates of incapacity received |
|---|---|
| 26th January | 987 |
| 23rd February | 987 |
| 29th March | 796 |
| 26th April | 703 |
| 24th May | 659 |
| 21st June | 522 |
| 12th July | 577 |
| 9th August | 485 |
| 6th September | 482 |
| 4th October | 611 |
| 1st November | 869 |
| 29th November | 732 |
| 27th December | 741 |
Medical Examinations.
110 members, or potential members of the staff were examined
medically during the year.
Unemployment.
I am indebted to the Manager of the local Employment
Exchange for the following information with regard to unemployment
in the area during 1960:—
"The number of unemployed persons has throughout the year
1960 been considerably lower than in 1959, the difference varying,
according to the time of year, between 50 and 200 persons. The
usual pattern has been followed, i.e. the highest figure in January,
gradually decreasing until June, and then slight increases until the
end of the year.
There as been a steady demand for workers throughout the
year, and with local firms increasing their labour force and some
new firms coming into the area, there has been little long term
unemployment."