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offer their services. The response over the area has been most gratifying.
More and more the practitioners are coming to realise the very important
work which the health visitors are doing. One practitioner spent a whole
day studying the work of the health visitors in the clinic and in the homes
and wrote a very excellent account which was published in the British Medical
Journal. But we still have a long way to go in the co-ordination of the three
branches of the National Health Service. I often wish Area 10 with its 220,000
people was a county borough and had its own local authority powers.
A local authority expects its work to be done accurately and properly
and so does the public. When you think of the thousands of people who are
interviewed, given advice, of the thousands of inspections which are made and
decisions taken and then consider the shortness of the Health Committee
meetings because of the rarity of anything controversial or wrong ever
appearing, you will realise what great care is taken to keep things accurate,
and for this we have to thank the staff. Officers in local government get few
thanks; the annual report affords me an opportunity of thanking Dr. Cormack,
Mr. Easter, Mr. Smith and Mr. Pugh for their unfailing loyalty and devotion to
the service, for their trustworthiness and hard work; and also the other
inspectors, the clerical and the outdoor staff.
I beg to acknowledge my indebtedness to the Chairman and Members of
the Public Health Committee for their helpfulness and support, which is always
of the greatest encouragement. I desire also to acknowledge with thanks
the friendly co-operation and help which I have always received from my
colleagues in the other departments of the Corporation and the other members
of the Council.
I am,
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN MADDISON,
Medical Officer of Health
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