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23
xvi. Survey of Health Services.
A general inspection of Public Health Services in the Borough was begun by
Medical Officers of the Ministry of Health at the end of 1934, and was completed
at the beginning of 1935. This survey is required in order that the Ministry may
be satisfied from time to time that the local authority is maintaining a reasonable
standard of efficiency and progress in discharging its duties relating to public health,
regard being paid to the standards in other areas whose financial and other
circumstances are substantially similar. In connection with the survey, the
following letter was received from the Minister of Health:—
"I am directed by the Minister of Health to state that he has had under
consideration the report made by his officers after their recent survey of the
public health services of the Borough Council.
The report indicates that, so far as can be judged from a general survey,
a reasonable, and in most respects, a high standard of efficiency and progress
is being maintained by the Council in the discharge of their functions relating
to public health. Amongst a number of satisfactory features exhibited by
the services, the Minister has noted in particular the comprehensive character
of the Council's maternity and child welfare service and of their anti-tuberculosis
work in so far as it comes within the functions of the Borough Council;
the excellent work which is being done at the 'toddlers' clinic'; the attention
given to the prevention and control of infectious disease; the commendable
degree of co-operation between the Council's health services and the school
medical service of the London County Council; the active interest taken by
the Council and their officers in health publicity and health education, and
the measures promoted for the disinfestation of houses in the Borough.
The following are matters connected with particular services to which the
Minister thinks he may usefully direct the Borough Council's attention:—
Public Cleansing.—In view of the importance of this service and the
heavy annual expenditure upon it, it is considered that its supervision by
a special cleansing officer would tend to the greater efficiency of the
service and leave the Borough Engineer free to devote more time to other
duties. In this connection attention is drawn to the section dealing with
the organisation of cleansing work on page 25 of the Ministry's Annual
Report for 1931-32 (issued as a separate publication with the title ' Public
Cleansing—Extracts from the Annual Report of the Ministry of Health
for 1931-32').
Maternity and Child Welfare.—At the War Memorial Hospital the
maternity unit, although excellent in many respects, is inadequate in size
for the number of patients treated, with consequent deficiency in certain
arrangements, particularly in the accommodation for babies.
In conclusion, I am to express the Minister's appreciation of the assistance
afforded to his officers during the survey."