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TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF
THE HEALTH COMMITTEE
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present herewith a report on the Health Services in
the Borough during the year 1948.
On July 5th, 1948, responsibility for all the services included
under Part III of the National Health Service Act, 1946, became
transferred to the Essex County Council as the Local Health
Authority.
These included the responsibility for the provision of health
centres; the care of mothers and young children; midwifery;
health visiting; home nursing; vaccination and immunisation;
ambulance services; prevention of illness—care and after-care, and
domestic help.
Under the scheme of decentralisation of administration submitted
by the County Council and approved by the Ministry of
Health, the Borough of Walthamstow was constituted as a separate
health area with its own Health Area Sub-Committee, the arrangement
being subject to review at the expiration of two years.
In order to give a complete picture of the year 1948, I am
able, through the courtesy of the County Medical Officer, and in
my capacity as Acting Area Medical Officer, to include some reference
to and statistics of the work carried out in regard to the
services transferred to the County Council on July 5th.
On the same date your hospitals—i.e., Chingford Sanatorium
(opened in 1901) and Thorpe Coombe Maternity Hospital (opened
in 1934) were transferred to the North-East Metropolitan Regional
Hospital Board. Your Council has every right to be proud of the
services provided at these two hospitals. Liaison still remains by
the fact that some of your members are, as private individuals,
members of the respective House Committees.
Again on the same date your Municipal Dental Service (one
of the very few in the country) became the responsibility of the
Executive Council for Essex. Arrangements have been made for
continuity in administration, at least for the time being.
The relief afforded to the Department by the transfer of
hospital services was comparatively slight since both hospitals had
long been "decentralised" as far as possible except for administration
at the Committee level. On the other hand, the work
involved in connection with the development of health centres,
maternal and child health, home nursing (a new duty for Local
uthorities), the prevention of illness—care and after-care and the
great exPansion of Domestic Help Service resulted in a considerable
increase in work and responsibility, especially in view of
the difficulties and frustrations inseparable from delegation.