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individual and group motivation before this quest
can be more successful.
From what has been said it can be seen that
unification of the health services is a completely
logical step. This move towards unification
is largely the reason why I have deliberately
emphasised prevention' as the main theme of
my preface this year. It has been fostered
successfully for many years by local health
authorities and its importance must be safeguarded
in the future when it is enjoined by the
other possibly more immediately dramatic parts
of the medical services.
In this context some have considered the
term National Health Service' to be a euphemism
for what in their opinion could to date have
been more aptly described as a 'National Disease
Service' If all who take part in the future service
could think in terms of, if possible, preventing
disease altogether, detecting disease early
enough to prevent it becoming irreversible and
preventing established disease from deteriorating
in that order of priority, but with equal importance
attached to each individual person, then a true
health service would have been established.
The impending unification of the health
services under one administration and financial
system, and the social services under a different
administration and financial system brings to a
head the danger of the polarisation of the various
caring professions just at a time when multidisciplinary
teams under the same roof are what
the public require. The possibility of unhealthy
competition for a larger slice of the national
financial cake taking place between such large
monolithic structures providing similar services
and the likelihood of the perpetuation of the
tendency for one administration to expect the
other to take over unpopular and expensive
tasks are two further problems that will need
to be faced. Unification of both services is
undoubtedly needed if progress is to be made,
but great efforts will be required from all
concerned if adequate bridges are to be formed
during the interim period before the complete
integration of the separately unified health
services and social services can be achieved
in the future Gaps may otherwise occur which
will harm the elderly, the handicapped, the
mentally ill and the many other vulnerable
groups in our communities and neighbourhoods,
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank the family doctors and hospital staff
for their help on many occasions during the
year: the success of the service and joint
projects is dependent on the excellent cooperation
that has been achieved amongst the
various parts of the health service in the
Borough.
I wish to thank once again the many
voluntary organisations whose contributions
are also vital to the success of the health
and allied services.
My appreciation and thanks are also due to
every member of the staff of the Department
of Health for their loyal and sustained
application to duty during another very busy
year. A considerable burden of work has
fallen on my deputy Dr M E Wilkinson and I
welcome the opportunity to thank her for her
continued support. Chief and senior officers
of the other departments of the Borough play
a vital part in the development of health
services and I record a vote of thanks to them
from the health department.
Finally I wish to express the gratitude
of the whole department, particularly to the
Chairmen and Members of the Health and
Education Committees for their understanding,
encouragement and support throughout another
eventful year.
Medical Officer of Health and
Principal School Medical Officer
Department of Health
92 Bath Road Hounslow Middx.
18