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48
(2). Memorandum from the National Health Insurance Commission
of England on the administration of sanitorium benefits, dated
6th July, 1912.
(3). Letters from the Middlesex District Councils' Association of
the 11th July and 12th August.
(4). Middlesex District Councils' Conference of the 8th July, 1912.
Report of resolutions passed thereat.
(5). Letter from the Clerk, Middlesex County Council, of 24th
July. with resolutions passed at Conference of 11th July, and asking
for suggestions.
(6). Circular of the Local Government Board of the 27th July
and Order of 26th July re " Domiciliary treatment of tuberculosis,"
which came at once into operation.
No. 1 is addressed only to County and County Borough Councils,
and No. 2 to County Insurance Committees and not to Local Councils.
However, it is well for us to know about them. In No. 1 the Local Government
Board say that County schemes should cover all tuberculous persons
whether insured or not, and that (generally) the unit area of administration
should be a County or County Borough ; further, that each County
Council should confer with the Local Councils in order to obtain their
full co-operation in the working of the County scheme. The Board also
state that they and the Insurance Commissioners are agreed that
domiciliary treatment should be carried out as far as possible by general
practitioners.
In No. 2 the Commissioners state that at first it will be desirable
to confine the benefit to insured persons, and they warn all that everyone
who applies for sanitorium benefit will only get it at the discretion
of the County Insurance Committee, and that County Committees are
not empowered by the Act to provide institutions themselves.
No. 6 is remarkable in that no statement is made as to what
payment, if any, is to be made to the medical practitioners who do the
important work they are asked to do.
In a letter dated 14th November the County Council asked our
opinion of the best site for the Head Dispensary, and were informed (in
December) that any site would be suitable along the main road to
Hertford between Lower Edmonton and Silver Street Stations.
On November 30th I received a copy of a report of the County
Public Health Committee, dated 31st October, 1912. This report is an
amended form of their June report, and the scheme, as amended, is
summarised in Appendix C. Edmonton Council, it is stated, sent in
the following suggestions for the improvement of the County scheme of
June, 1912:—