London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Richmond upon Thames 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Richmond upon Thames]
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Whereas nearly 100 applications were received annually in the seven years following
the introduction of the Rent Act, in recent years it has been almost ignored by
tenants of controlled premises and no longer provides a means whereby an owner is
required to carry out repairs in order to receive the prescribed rent.
Applications for Certificates of Disrepair:
| 1957/63 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Number of applications for certificates | 668 | 10 | — | 6 | 3 |
| 2. | Number of decisions not to issue certificates | 24 | 1 | — | - | 1 |
| 3. | Number of decisions to issue certificates : | |||||
| (a) in respect of some but not all defects | 520 | 4 | - | 1 | ||
| (b) in respect of all defects | 124 | 5 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| 4. | Number of undertakings given by land | |||||
| lords under paragraph 5 of the First Schedule | 415 | 7 | - | 6 | 1 | |
| 5. | Number of undertakings refused by Local Authority under proviso to paragraph 5 of the First Schedule | 3 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 6. | Number of Certificates issued | 232 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 |
| Applications for Cancellation of Certificates: | ||||||
| 7. | Applications by landlords to Local Authority for cancellation of certificates | 134 | 2 | 2 | 6 | - |
| 8. | Objections by tenants to cancellation of certificates | 54 | - | - | 1 | - |
| 9. | Decisions by Local Authority to cancel in spite of tenants objection | 18 | - | - | 1 | - |
| 10. | Certificates cancelled by Local Authority | 98 | 2 | 2 | 6 | - |
| (4) Medical Priorities | ||||||
| All applications for rehousing on medical grounds, when supported by a medical | ||||||
certificate, receive preliminary screening during periodical meetings held at the Housing
Department and during the year 155 of these cases were subsequently referred by the
Housing Officer for further investigation.
In order to preserve a uniform standard of assessment these applications continue
to be dealt with by the Deputy Medical Officer of Health, and after receiving investigation
reports from either the Health Visitor or the Public Health Inspector, priority
was recommended in 112 cases.
Special consideration is given to these cases by the Housing Sub-Committee and
when a case has been approved allocation of suitable accommodation is made as soon
as it becomes available.
During the year 71 families who had received special consideration were rehoused.
2. INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD
(1) Food Inspection
The year brought a significant increase in the number of complaints alleging
unfitness in food sold by retail, there being 140 compared with 87 in 1966. The
majority of the complaints arose because either the food trader failed to rotate stock
in a proper manner or the food contained a foreign substance. If this increase reflects
the public's growing determination to demand fresh and wholesome food, the vears
work has been most encouraging in this field of environmental health.
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