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8
Preface
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICES,
Telephone: 17/23 Clements Road,
ILFord 3020 ILFORD.
December, 1964.
Mr. MAYOR, LADIES and GENTLEMEN,
I submit herewith the Annual Report of the Health Services for the
year 1963.
It is regretted that the report this year is so late, but I am sure
members will appreciate the reasons. First, the main staff concerned in
its production are not only carrying on with their usual duties for Essex
and Ilford, but are deeply concerned with the planning for Redbridge, and
in fact organising concurrently material for committees for all three
authorities. Secondly, at the end of November we moved from the friendly
and pleasant surroundings of Valentines Park to the more impersonal but
doubtless more efficient premises in Clements Road; again this caused
some dislocation in our routine. Finally, the printing section has likewise
been involved in extra duties required by London Government Reorganisation.
The rise in the birth rate continued from an adjusted figure of
14.31 in 1962 to 15.74 in 1963; this meant an extra 212 births. On the
credit side we had a drop in stillbirths from 53 to 40 (and in the rate
from 20.44 to 14.33), a drop in the perinatal mortality rate (stillbirths
and deaths under one week) from 31.64 to 27.23 per 1,000. The number
of deaths from cancer fell from 438 to 384, and the adjusted general
death rate from 12.08 to 11.84. The main feature on the debit side was
a rise in infant mortality from 45 deaths (1962) to 56 (1963) (in the rate
from 17.72 to 20.36), but this is still below both the national and London
figures. It is difficult to account for the rise; the main groups were; 11
due to premature births, 7 to bronchopneumonia and 6 to asphyxia. With
such small numbers statistical evaluation is difficult, furthermore the
figure for 1964 shows a dramatic improvement to 35 (up to 22nd December),
so the total for 1964 will probably be even lower than the 45 of 1962.
One of the problems that is causing us most concern for the future
in Redbridge is that of staffing, especially professional personnel such