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To the Mayor, Alderman and Councillors of the London Borough of Hounslow
I have the honour to present the eighth and penultimate
Annual Report on the health of the people living in the
London Borough of Hounslow. This is likely to be the last
fully descriptive report for presentation to the Council as
next year there will be little time and resource available to
produce more than the necessary routine statistical returns
required by Central Government.
The end of an era is thus fast approaching for on the 1st
April, 1974 not only will the health department of this
borough set up in 1965 come to an end with its staff
transferred to a new health service outside local government,
but the historical office of medical officer of health will
disappear from the scene for the first time since its inception
in 1847. In his place specialists in community medicine or
community physicians will appear at district area, and
regional levels and take part in team decisions by consensus
with their equivalent colleagues in nursing, finance and
administration. At the district level only will the team be
joined by a hospital consultant and a family practitioner
who will represent their colleagues.
Hounslow is likely to be administered at district level and
joint collaboration arrangements between the existing borough
councils and the newly nominated health authorities will be
set up to ensure the balanced provision of family doctor
medicine, community health and hospital services with the
appropriate borough social services.
Comments on vital statistics for the borough will be found
on pages 12 & 13. The incidence of measles continues its
downward trend following the advent of effective
immunisation. This downward trend is, however, not as fast
as it should be and parents are advised strongly to get their
children immunised against this disease.
The large research projects described in previous reports
including the Joint Obstetric Child Health Project and the
Prospective Survey on Infective Hepatitis, are making good
progress but naturally the results of these projects will not be
available for some time yet.
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 co-operation that has been
achieved amongst the various parts of the health service in the
borough.
Much progress has been made in the obstetric and paediatric
fields during the year. After much discussion agreement
between the hospital consultants and family doctors and the
community and hospital nurses and midwives will in due
course lead to a new system in maternity care in this area.
The aim is one hundred per cent hospital delivery with its
much greater safety margin for both mother and child and
the decentralization of ante-natal care so that prospective
mothers can have this type of care in the comfort of
attractive premises nearer their homes. In this way mothers
who in the past may have wished to have their babies at home
need only be admitted to hospital for the actual delivery and
be home again in a matter of hours. This system thus combines
safety with an early return to family and home comforts.
Dr R Prothero's report on page 30 gives a guardedly
optimistic opinion on the asthma problem.
A report on the new Mayston structure for nusring
services will be found in the body of the report as will an
interesting account of the achievement of the dental service
in the London Borough of Hounslow during the last half
century by Mr D H Norman, the chief dental officer.
The considerable changes caused by the implementation
of the Social Services Act in April 1971 following so soon
on the major upheaval caused by the demise of the
Middlesex and London County Councils and the formation
of the London Boroughs in April 1965 is now to be
followed by a further and far greater upheaval on 1st April
1974 with the formation of the new health areas and
districts. The staff destined to experience all these three
major changes in such a short space of time deserve
sympathetic understanding from the communities they
have endeavoured to serve to the best of their ability over
the years.
It will inevitably be some time before the dust has
settled again but the standard of the service to the public
must at all costs be maintained and the staff should be
treated with the utmost fairness during this difficult
period.
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 on my chief administrative officer
Mr J M Murphy and I welcome the opportunity to thank
them for their 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.
I wish to thank once again the many voluntary organisations
whose contributions are also vital to the success of
the health and allied services.
Finally I, and I am sure the staff of the Health
Department, would like to record the pleasure it has been
over the last eight eventful years to work for such a
progressive and enlightened authority and in particular to
extend our thanks to Alderman Alfred King, Alderman Eric
Kenward, Alderman Tony Greenland, Alderman Basil
Williams and Alderman Ted Pauling, for all the support we
have had during this period. Our thanks are also due to the
chairmen and members of the health and education
committee for their understanding and encouragement
throughout a difficult and challenging year.
Medical Officer of Health and
Principal School Medical Officer
Department of Health
92 Bath Road Hounslow Middlesex.
10