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7
BOROUGH OF ROMFORD
To His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors of the
Borough of Romford.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies, and Gentlemen,
I have the honour, herewith, to present to you this, my Annual
Report on the Health of the district for the year 1947.
This is the Fourteenth Report in the series, since I was
appointed your Medical Officer of Health, and it is drawn up in
accordance with the requirements of Articles 6(3), and 17(5) of
the Sanitary Officers' (Outside London) Regulations, 1935, as
modified by Circular 170/47 of the Ministry of Health, dated 31st
December, 1947. This Circular again states that the Report should
be an Interim one.
The year 1947 has been one of the most active and strenuous
in the field of Public Health, and the various services have been
strained to the utmost. The reason for this strain has been partly
due to a lack of staff, and partly to the changing conditions, which
prevail at the present day.
With regard to staff, there has been a shortage of Health
Visitors, a shortage of Sanitary Inspectors, and a shortage of Day
Nursery personnel, whilst, on the other hand, there has been a
rise in the birth rate, with an increased demand on the Child
Welfare services, a rise in population, partially accounted for by
the rise in the birth rate, and partly by the influx of families to
the developing L.C.C. estate at Harold Hill, an increased number
of applications from overcrowded families, who desire alternative
accommodation, and an increased request for the admission of
children to the Day Nurseries.
Nevertheless, thanks to the active co-operation of all the staff
of the department, these demands have been met to the best of our
ability, and, as the following pages will show, I trust to the
general satisfaction of the public.
In July next, with the coming into operation of the National
Health Service Act, a new era will commence in the Public Health
Service, but this will mainly be evolutionary in character, and a
natural progression from the schemes which the Romford Council
has been developing over a number of years.