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quickly. As the recent White Paper on Services for the Mentally Handicapped says "The Government
will play its part but the main responsibility lies with the local authorities themselves. Faster
development of their services is crucial".
The opening of the St.James Health Centre marks further a big step forward in constructing
the modern Health Service which the country as a whole so badly needs. The archaic system of
family doctors, health visitors, district nurses and similar staff all struggling with different facets
of the same problem in isolation desperately needs the forceful boost of such buildings to integrate
these staff into a pattern which not only makes sense to patients, families and the staff who man
them, but also results in a very substantial increase in output of the skills available, to the benefit
of all. Good communications save time, and time is money.
Important as these centres are to the country as a whole, they are vital to areas such as the
southern end of the Borough. In a national situation of a shortage of doctors, what doctor entering
practice is likely to choose to work in an old-fashioned surgery in an area of depressed housing?
There are plenty of other opportunities open to him. Parts of the Borough have little else to offer
and the doctors there are in many cases approaching retirement.
No report of this kind would be complete without expressing an appreciation of the work of
those who make a voluntary contribution. Just as the individual needs resilience and material aids
may help him to achieve it, so does a community. The local authority by appropriate material aid
can produce an output of voluntary effort out of all proportion to the funds which have primed it.
Moreover, a richness of life can be added to society by the interchange of giving and receiving
help, as in the mushroom development of social service projects by school children which the
Voluntary Work Centre has done so much to bring about in the last year.
In conclusion may I thank my staff and those of other departments who have given such
great help during the year. I am sure those staff would join me in my thanks to the Council
committees for their interest and support and particularly to the Health and Welfare Committee
whose chairman, Councillor Mrs.P.K.Williams, showed an enthusiasm and support for our work
which was greatly appreciated.
I have the honour to be,
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant
Medical Officer of Health
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