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10
Efforts to further the co-ordination and co-operation of the department's
services with hospital and family doctor services continued during
the year. Further liaison and attachment schemes between the domiciliary
staff and the family doctors were initiated and it is considered produced
not only a higher degree of job satisfaction to the professional staff but
also as a corollary an improved service to the patient. During the year,
the Maternity Steering Group, in considering the setting up of an integrated
midwifery service for the district centred on Northwick Park
Hospital, completed their work and their report was received and approved
by the Hospital Management Committee, the local Medical Committee
and the Council of the London Borough of Harrow. Details of the scheme
have now been submitted to the Department of Health and Social Security
for their consideration and, it is hoped, final approval.
Generally, the main theme of the department during the year was
expansion in all spheres in order to meet increased demands. This included
a new clinic for Cervical Cytology involving the consultant gynaecologist
from Northwick Park Hospital—an increase in health visiting and home
nursing personnel—a feature which will I am sure be a recurrent item in
years to come with rapid expansion of schemes involving the early discharge
of hospital patients back to nursing care within the community.
The health education section was at full stretch during the year coping
with a variety of projects all aiming at achieving the double function of
providing information and at the same time trying to persuade people to
take positive action in line with the advice given.
The environmental health section was also at full stretch during the
year still being involved with much work arising out of the Housing Act
1969. However, every effort was made to see that the basic supervisory
work carried out by the section did not suffer. It is pleasing to report the
steady progress being maintained in the Clean Air programme. Three
new orders became effective in 1971 and by the end of 1972 approximately
75 % of houses in the Borough will be under smoke control. The programme
was started in 1960 with a 15-year target and there is every hope
that this target date will be achieved. I think this fact is worthy of note
and that the various members of the Health Committee of the Borough,
who have been involved in this programme over the years, are to be both
thanked and congratulated on the steadfastness of their intent to maintain
the programme without interruption. This is good public health !
On the debit side, however, I very much regret to report that one of
the best measures to prevent dental decay is still denied to the Borough
in that no progress has been made in raising the level of the fluoride in
the drinking water to the caries-preventing level of 1.00 p.p.m. (F.).
As forecast in last year's annual report, some modifications were
introduced in the standard procedures for the inspecting and advising in
the School Health Service. In the past, the periods between the Medical
Officers' visits to the schools have tended to become too long resulting