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26
HEALTH EDUCATION
During the year work on the education of the general public in matters of health and
hygiene continued by means of personal communication between Public Health Department
staff and individuals, talks to Associations illustrated by topical film strips, poster publicity
and leaflet distribution.
In the spring of the year, special publicity was given to Anti-Diphtheria Immunisation,
and for the first time the managers of the local factories were asked to display public health
publicity material. The response was very good and during the period of the campaign for
the immunisation against diphtheria, posters were displayed in factory canteens and offices.
In the autumn, before the visit of the Mass X-ray Unit, all publicity was focussed on the
importance of X-ray examination in the ascertainment of tuberculosis in the early stages
when cure is much more easy to obtain.
In February of 1956, the Central Council for Health Education held a Seminar for
Medical Officers on the subject of Public Relations and the Health Department, at which
Public Relations was discussed in various aspects. The speakers included a Public
Relations Consultant, the Editors of two newspapers, a Public Relations Officer of the
National Association of Local Government Officers, Officers of the Central Council for
Health Education, and various Medical Officers of Health. Group discussions were held,
and notes compared as to the value of various publicity methods as assessed from results
obtained. Results of Health Education of course, are not easily assessable, as indeed can be
said of all the results of preventive health work, since any improvement in the health of the
community is not immediately able to be measured by increased height, weight, or lessening
of the frequency of illness, and individual person well-being is never a measurable factor
although it is so important. There was general agreement that there was room for
improvement in the Public Relations work of most Public Health Departments and that more
co-operation between Councillors and Department staffs, between Corporation Departments
and between members of the Department staff themselves are desirable, as it seems unlikely
that the general public will be knowledgable about Public Health if the authority and its
officers are not well aware of all the changing facets of the work in the Public Health
Department.
ROAD SAFETY
The number of road accidents occurring within the Borough of Southall showed a slight
improvement over 1955, and for the fourth year in succession it is possible to report that no
child died in Southall as the result of a road accident. There were twelve fewer road
accidents than in 1955, but the number of children suffering injury in these was the same as
in that year.
In Southall six people died as the result of motor accidents, but only three road
accidents resulting in death actually occurred within the Borough boundaries. None of the
victims were children. The number of persons injured, whether seriously or slightly, was
289 adults and 55 children.