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Preface
Public Health Offices,
Ilford.
August, 1956.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Ilford.
Madam Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1 submit herewith the Annual Report on the Health Services for the
year 1955.
Births and Deaths.
The birth rate in Ilford is steadily falling and at 11.21 births per
1,000 (as compared with the year before of 11.64) is far below the national
rate of 15. In fact, there were 2,100 births, as compared with 2,081
deaths; the latter figure is steadily overtaking the former, and in a year or
two. if the present trends continue, will do so. The number of deaths in
1955, 2,081. is 217 more than in the previous year. Of these extra deaths
the vast majority (182) are attributable to either diseases of the aged (such
as arteriosclerosis in its various form and cancer) or another group (of
pneumonia and bronchitis), the penalty of living in an air-polluted conurbation
in England. Our death rate (adjusted) of 11.79 is now slightly worse
than the national rate of 11.7, but the figures since 1952 are quite unreliable
as an index of the health of Ilford as. due to an instruction of the
Registrar General, deaths in mental hospitals are assigned to the local
authority where the hospitals are situated, and not to the areas whence
the patient came. As we have two large mental hospitals in the Borough
we must include in our figures the mental hospital deaths of patients
originally from a large section of the Home Counties, probably an additional
250—300. although it is quite impossible to state the number for
certain.
A more certain indication of the health of the borough is the Infant
Mortality Rate, which at 20 is considerably lower than the figures for
England and Wales and the Great Towns (see Table 1.A.).
The Family Doctor and Ourselves.
For the first time for over 20 years a copy of this annual report is to
be sent to every general practitioner in Ilford. There is no individual
whose co-operation is more essential to the Medical Officer of Health than
the General Practitioner, in the spheres of prevention of disease, care and
after-care and much else. I feel progress is steadily being maintained in
this matter of liaison, and it is to be hoped that Ilford doctors will make
even more use of the help we can give. To this end a map has been
prepared of the area served by each health visitor, and attached directions
as to how to contact her, and these details have been sent to every practitioner.
I hope the health visitor, as the general purpose medical and social
visitor in the home, will soon be as well-known to the family doctor as
the midwife and welfare worker for the aged now are.
As this annual report is intended for readers such as our family
doctors, councillors, officials in the various Ministries, as well as the general
public, I have avoided issuing it as a chatty magazine, as some Medical
Officers of Health like to do. Granted, the figures and statistics make dull
reading, but they are not meant to be read, only to be referred to. The
preface, and the statements of individual officers scattered throughout the
report make, I hope, more readable fare.