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HEALTH CONTROL UNIT, LONDON (HEATHROW) AIRPORT 1965
This Report covers the twelve months, January 1st—December 31st 1965. During the first
quarter of the year the Unit was responsible to the Middlesex County Council, but with its dissolution,
the Unit was taken over by the London Borough of Hillingdon on April 1st.
Other changes have taken place at the Airport during the year. Notably, the British Airports
Authority was established, and will assume responsibility for Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and
Prestwick Airports and will become operational as from April 1st, 1966.
Although the Minister of Health, under the British Airports Authority Bill, had powers to
delegate to the new authority the responsibility for health control, he has declined to do so, and the
four airports' health control will continue to be the responsibility of the four local health authorities.
At Heathrow, the main commitment which the medical staff of the Health Control Unit undertook
for the Ministry of Aviation was the examination of aircrew and air traffic control officers, and
in August, 1965, this was taken over by the Ministry of Aviation with their own appointed medical
officers. During the period January 1st to July 1st, 1965, 1,282 aircrew and 226 air traffic control
officers were examined. The future of the other services which at present are rendered to the Ministry
of Aviation by the Unit's staff is uncertain as the new authority has not made any pronouncement.
The Borough of Hillingdon, however, has let it be known that if required to do so, the Unit's
medical and nursing staff would be available to continue the provision of these services.
Another notable change during the year was the formation of the Joint Airlines Medical Service,
as a result of the merger between the medical departments of BOAC and BEA.
Perhaps the most interesting event of the year as it affected the Unit was the installation of the
X-ray plant, to which reference will be made later; the saddest event, without doubt, was the accident
to the BEA Vanguard which occurred in October, from which there were no survivors.
Much construction has taken place at the Airport recently. Piers 1 and 2 are well on their way
to completion in the Europa Building, and piers 5 and 6 in the Oceanic Building are already taking
shape and are due for completion in 1967. Work has already started on the new Passenger Building
No. 4, which is being located on the North-East face and which will accommodate all the British
airlines with the exception of BOAC.
The introduction of the piers system has brought with it considerable problems for the Health
Control Unit, particularly in the Oceanic Building where the majority of incoming flights are from
endemic or infected areas. The overall length of this building when completed will be about one-third
of a mile and will provide sixteen stands for aircraft. The proposal of the airlines is that healthcontrolled
flights should be checked at the point where the passengers emerge from the aircraft. The
furthest stands will be a far call from the present base and it is obvious that there will have to be a
considerable increase in staff, especially when it is borne in mind that the passenger-carrying capacity
of aircraft is continually expanding. It is expected that the first two central stands of the pier will
come into use in July 1966 and the remaining fourteen a year later, so that a breathing space will
be provided, during which time the full implications of the system can be studied and further
assessment of staff requirements made.
With over a million more passengers using the Airport in 1965 compared with 1964, the estimate
for the year was exceeded. The total figure was 10,615,555.
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