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Dental Services
The shortage of professional staff and the almost continual change of personnel is a
recurrent topic in the annual reviews of most chief dental officers. I am afraid the same situation
applies to our Borough in its first year. This has, naturally, detracted from the smooth running of
the dental department as a whole.
At the end of the year we had only four full time dental officers, one dental auxiliary and
eight part time officers. Wr expect to have three more auxiliaries in 1966 and hope for more dental
officers. In the matter of recruitment of full time officers, I can only echo the words of Mr.Hall,
the former Area Dental Officer at Leyton in his last report, "one can only assume that it is the
attractiveness of other branches of dentistry, such as hospital work, the defence services or
private practice which makes it so difficult". It may also be that the minimum starting salary for
newly qualified dental surgeons compares unfavourably with other branches of dentistry.
Early in 1966, too, we expect a visit from a Dental Officer of the Department of Education
and Science, who will spend two days looking at our School Dental Service. He will then advise
us on making the best use of our clinics and staff. This should prove a valuable help.
I had hoped to have commenced a Dental Health Education programme, but with the staff
changes already mentioned, this has not yet: been practicable. However, with the aid of Mr.H.
Bradley, the newly appointed Health Education Officer, it should become a reality in 1966.
Orthodontic services in the Borough are covered by two consultant^ Mr.R.V.Tait attends
for. three sessions at Walthamstow and Mr.R.W.Willoncks, by a lonn standing arrangement with the North
East Metropolitan Hospital Board, sees patients at Whipps Cross Hospital. Both these gentlemen
advise our dental officers on treatment and treat the more complicated cases themselves.
It is to be regretted that in the Greater London Area we are no nearer fluoridation of water.
It would do so much to prevent dental decay in the future.
G.P.L.Taylor
Principal School Denial Officer
Psychiatric Services
CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES
At the birth of the new Borough, two Child Psychiatric Centres were already working and
it was decided that each should keep its own area of the Borough, partly because the Schools
served by each Centre had become used to teamwork with that Centre.
The Psychiatric team serving the Walthamstow and Chingford areas still works at the Old
Monoux Buildings, High Street, E.17 but will remove to the new Hurst Road Health Centre in 1966;
the team serving the Leyton area moved in August from Dawlish Road to become the Kirkdale
Centre, Kirkdale Road, E.11.
The waiting list for diagnosis diminished considerably for the Walthamstow team, but less
so for the Kirkdale team owing to a temporary shortage of Psychiatric Social Workers.
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