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9
further, to which purpose the new local government structure is better
designed as compared with that which existed before.
Unlike the position in nearly all the other London boroughs, the
loss to Redbridge by transferring elsewhere of Ilford officers working in
the health department has been negligible. Without doubt remaining with
us has been a great strain on the loyalty of many, for the salary structure
in Redbridge, adopted a year or more ago and then considered reasonable
(witness our rise in rates of only 6d. as compared with the rise in most
of the other boroughs), is in many cases far below that adopted for doing
similar (or less) work elsewhere within easy travelling distance. We are
in the middle of a financial epidemic, which might be called the London
Disease, incubated by the London County Council before its passing, by
the Greater London Council and many of the inner London boroughs, each
determined to attract staff from the other. There is no means of quarantine
against this affliction; staff, like viruses, need take no account of borough
boundaries. Whilst the Health and Welfare Department of Redbridge is
grateful to those who have resisted the temptation to transfer to more
lucrative but doubtless less happy positions elsewhere, a time must come
when the pressure will prove irresistible and we will lose staff. Such a
crack has already appeared in the resistance of the public health
inspectorate.
Of the many advantages of the new order, I would only stress one at
this juncture, the presence in one building of the environmental, personal,
school and mental health services, the welfare service, and the children's
department. Both field workers and administration in all these sections
have easy access with each other, sharing the same canteen and using
the same conference room and the organisation of case conferences is
facilitated. The general public come to one building instead of half-adozen
scattered over the old Essex, with offices as far apart as Wanstead,
Chelmsford and Romford. The reorganisation has enabled a start to be
made to ensure that a certain criticism often directed against the variety
of home visitors has no validity, if ever it really had; i.e. that numerous
social workers of one kind or another visit the same home, giving conflicting
advice, and often in ignorance of each other's activities. A register
will be kept of individuals who have been visited by social workers of the
health and welfare, children's, education and housing departments, which
will indicate which social workers have visited and when. There will be
no further details, and any social worker will be at liberty to consult the
register. Social workers of other statutory authorities in the borough, such
as hospitals, and probation officers, have been invited to co-operate, and
attended with our social workers a meeting convened to discuss this
matter. It was, however, noted with a degree of disappointment that certain
social workers (not in the employ of the local authority) are somewhat