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In spite of recent welcome trends in improvement, tuberculosis remains a
serious infectious disease. There are, however, reasons for thinking that this improvement
over the last few years may continue. An average of about 250 new
cases come to light in the Borough annually, and deaths attributable to this disease
total approximately 60 each year.
The year 1951 saw several important changes in Public Health Law. Amongst
new legislation was an Act requiring all pet shops to be licensed and supervised
by the local authority, and also an amendment to previous rag flock legislation
extending the kinds of filling subject to cleanliness control.
The work of the district Sanitary Inspectors concerned with the repair and
maintenance of house property proceeded fairly smoothly. There was a marked
decrease in the number of complaints received (2,670) compared with 4,023 the
previous year. However, much more time is now being spent in effecting the
necessary repairs to house property than was formerly the case. In many instances,
where at one time the repairs desired could be secured by an informal approach,
it is now often necessary to resort to the issue of a statutory notice to abate the
nuisance.
The large amount of repairs essential to the continued life of property which
is being carried out in the Borough is not always appreciated. It was possible for
the house-to-house inspection programme to be continued on a larger scale than in
previous post-war years, 382 houses being inspected for housing defects. During
the year 27 individual unfit houses were represented and the occupants, comprising
98 persons, required other accommodation. At the time of writing the majority
of these persons have been re-housed either by the Borough Council or the County
Council or have found their own accommodation. In cases where it is considered
that an unfit house, although it can by no means be rendered fit, can be patched
up to last another year or two, the owner is requested to remedy the most blatant
defects. However, the number of owners asking the Council to close houses increases
annually, and 13 of the 27 properties dealt with during the year were cases of this
nature. With building costs now three to four times more than before the war,
and with no increase in rents, except to cover rate increases, owners are increasingly
unwilling to spend money on the patching up of worn-out properties.
The broad proposals with regard to slum clearance in the London area were
made known during the year. The detailed programme for slum clearance for
the next five years has now been prepared and the areas have been graded
for representation in order of priority. Full details of the programme will be found
in the section dealing with housing.
The Council's Health Education work is now well known locally and another
full winter programme of health education sessions, at which sound films and talks
are given, has been undertaken. The unit visits many varied types of
organisation in all parts of the Borough. The practice of taking the unit to the
usual meeting place of the organisations instead of inviting members of the public
to public film programmes and talks which often give disappointing results, has
again proved its value. The numbers being reached in this way are continually
increasing, and it is estimated that this year some 3,850 persons were present
at health education sessions in addition to the 5,000 who attended the cinema at
the Civic Exhibition held in the autumn of 1951. This is 1,500 more than in the
previous year. One of the most successful sessions was that when the unit visited
the Abbey Wood branch of the National Old Age Pensioners' Association, where
210 members were given a programme dealing with the work of the Health Department.
A new departure in this work has been the holding of three successful courses
of lectures to food handlers working in the Borough, and also a series of lectures to
the canteen staff at one of the largest Woolwich factories. Various aspects
of the work of the Health Department were brought to the notice of the public
at the Civic Exhibition.
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