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65
HEALTH CENTRES
(Section 21)
HEALTH CENTRE SITES
The general position remains as detailed in the previous
report, i.e., six sites have been defined in the Borough on the basis
of one centre per 20,000 population and to serve an area with a
radius of one mile.
One of these sites is on the Borough Council's Priory Court
Housing Estate with some 400 flats.
During the year a proposal was approved in principle to
include in the lists of Capital Building Projects for 1953/4 a Health
Services Clinic at Priory Court, to be combined in the first instance
with a central hall for community centre purposes, and later with
a health centre for the use of family doctors. The proposal is
still under consideration, and the estimated cost will be £16,000.
HEALTH AREA PREMISES
During 1951, arrangements were made to make available the
part-time use of a room at the West Avenue Health Services Clinic
for the local representatives of the Children's Department. In
1952 similar arrangements were made to make available the parttime
use of other rooms to the local representatives of the Welfare
Department and the psychiatric social worker in the Mental Health
Service. In addition, the whole-time use of a further room was
made available to the Mental Health Service so that the sub-office
to serve Leyton, Walthamstow and Forest areas could be accommodated
at West Avenue. In each case a reservation has been
made to secure the use of the rooms for any extension of the Area
Health Services which at present include welfare sessions and a
dental clinic.
GENERAL DENTAL SERVICE
The Senior Dental Officer reports as follows:—
"It has been possible to work rather more sessions this year
than last, as the dental surgeon appointed to a full-time post early
in the year has been able to provide two extra evening sessions
weekly.
This has been very fortunate, as in spite of the imposition of
charges to patients over 21, the demand has, somewhat unexpectedly,
greatly increased. For example, over double the number
of patients were treated than was the case in 1951. With the
exception of dentures, all other items of treatment show substantial
increases."