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16
RAG FLOCK AND OTHER FILLING MATERIALS ACT, 1951
The Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act and Regulations, 1951, came into operation on the
1st November, 1951. The Regulations specify the standards of cleanliness for the filling materials, the
analysis for the tests, the fees which may be charged by the analyst, and the form of records to be kept by
the occupiers of the premises registered and licensed under the Act.
The premises of rag flock and those used for storing rag flock require to be licensed by the local
authority; the fee and the renewal fee is £1.0.0 for a period not exceeding twelve months. The premises
of persons carrying on business of upholstering, stuffing, or lining of bedding, toys and baby carriages, and
others using filling materials specified in the Act, have to be registered ; only one fee of £1.0.0 is chargeable.
There was one registration during the year and eight premises were removed from the register as
they ceased to carry on business. The number of registered premises is now nine.
Unfortunately the Act does not cover the re-making of an article, and dirty materials can therefore
be used in upholstering second-hand articles if they do not belong to the occupier.
Four samples of filling material were taken during the year and they proved to be satisfactory.
PET ANIMALS ACT, 1951
The owners of pet shops must now obtain an annual licence costing 10/-. The shops are inspected
by both Public Health Inspectors and Shops Act Inspectors; Public Health Inspectors inspect premises for
size, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness, and for the precautions taken for preventing spread of infectious
disease. During 1957, 22 pet shops were licensed.
STAFF MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
39 staff medical examinations were carried out by the Medical Officer of Health and Deputy Medical
Officer of Health in 1957.
HEALTH SERVICES OF OTHER AUTHORITIES IN THE AREA
Hospitals
The Hospital facilities provided by the North-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, and the
maternity and child welfare and school health services provided by the Middlesex County Council, remain
substantially the same; they are described in the 1948 and 1953 reports.
A new dental department at the Willesden General Hospital was completed during the year and
comprehensive consultant dental services are now available.
A Department of Occupational Health was established at the Central Middlesex Hospital and will
be maintained for three years with a grant of £15,000 from the Nuffield Foundation.
Liaison with Hospitals
The exchange of medical officers between the Paediatric Out-patients Department at the Central
Middlesex Hospital and the local health authority continued. This scheme has been working very satisfactorily
and has brought the work of the two departments more closely together.
At the end of the year it was decided that certain selected patients who were attending Central
Middlesex Hospital with varicose ulcers could be treated in their own homes by the home nurses. The
Physician-in-Charge at the Hospital refers suitable cases to the Area Medical Officer and the necessary
arrangements are made. The scheme relieves pressure on the hospital service and is advantageous to patients
because it saves them travelling to and from the hospital.
Personal health services
The remainder of the report provides detailed information on the personal health services in the
area since the operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946.
CARE OF MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
Care of the Expectant Mother
During 1957 a little less than two-thirds of all expectant mothers attended the local ante-natal clinics
staffed by assistant medical officers (Table 48).
Expectant mothers require adequate ante-natal care throughout pregnancy, and close co-operation
therefore exists between general practitioners, staffs of hospitals, assistant medical officers, midwives and
health visitors.
Health visitors make the initial arrangements for hospital and domiciliary confinements at the local
clinics (Table 49). Mothers book for confinement at home or in Paddington Hospital have specimens of blood
taken by assistant medical officers for Wasserman reaction, blood grouping, and Rhesus factor; assistant
medical officers and midwives carry out the tests for haemoglobin estimation. All expectant mothers are
invited to attend the Mass X-ray unit at Central Middlesex Hospital.