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12
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
HEALTH CENTRES
The Chalkhill Health Centre, the first to be provided by the Council, completed its second full year
of operation. Nine general practitioners practise from the Centre. During the year additional chiropody, family
planning, audiology and speech therapy sessions commenced. The main event was the opening of the Industrial
Health Unit, which deals with safety in factories and industrial injuries, etc., and is under the supervision
of Dr. G. French, Consultant in Industrial Medicine at the Central Middlesex Hospital and Director of Central
Middlesex Industrial Health Service Ltd. This Unit, general practitioners, the dentist providing general dental
services under the National Health Service Act, and the local health authority clinics make Chalkhill unique
in having all these services under one roof.
Dr. Michael Arnold, Chairman of the Management Committee, has kindly provided the following
report:—
"The Chalkhill Health Centre has now become well established and most, but not all, of the growing
pains have been overcome with the co-operation of the Director of Development and his staff. However,
adequate ventilation in the summer is still a problem.
"This Centre was to a great extent experimental and, as the first to be completed in Brent, we have
had to establish a number of methods of operation by trial and error, but, in the main, it can be said that
the population of Chalkhill and surrounding areas is able to derive general practitioner and a range of other
clinical and welfare services under the one roof, with probably a good deal more co-ordination than in days
prior to its existence.
"We have continued to be a focus of considerable interest to other practitioners and health workers
who have visited us from local areas and various parts of the world. These visitors have included a delegation
of local authority officials from Denmark, and the Romanian Minister of Health. Doctors interested in setting
up and about to move into health centres have visited us for information regarding various problems that we
have had to overcome, and we hope that this has been helpful to them.
"We have continued to help in providing visits for medical students from the Middlesex Hospital,
and various students from this hospital, Charing Cross and other hospitals have been attached to the Centre
for periods varying from one to three weeks. A number of nurses have come to the Centre as part of their
instruction, and we have also had parties from medical secretarial colleges which has proved to be a useful
feature of our work.
"Several practitioners have also been working here during the year under the N.H.S. trainee practitioner
scheme, which we expect may merge in time into the new extended vocational G.P. training scheme.
"Regular clinical meetings for the medical staff and other workers have been held, also a Patients'
Association started this year.
"A small paediatric referral clinic has been initiated with the help of Northwick Park Paediatric
Department. We also have a physiotherapist working in the Centre".
The Craven Park Health Centre, completed its first full year of operation. Attendances have steadily
increased particularly at family planning and immunization sessions. The Mothers Club is flourishing. Mothers
attend talks and demonstrations whilst their children are looked after in another room. Film shows are held
from time to time in the evenings, which enable husbands to come along. There has been an increase in the
number of speech therapy sessions held in the Centre, and an ear, nose and throat specialist attends regularly
to see children from the whole of the Southern part of the Borough. A variety of courses and lectures were
held at the Centre, including a Management Appreciation Course run by Chiswick Polytechnic. There were
five general practitioners practising from the Centre at the end of the year leaving five suites unoccupied.
Dr. Malcolm Mitchell, Chairman of the Management Committee, has kindly provided the following
report:—
"This year has seen an increase in the work done in the Health Centre, although as yet no further
general practitioners have moved in. It is hoped that within the next few months there will be an increase in
our number.
"During the year there has been a steady increase in the number of patients attending the Centre.
Comments must be made concerning the smooth co-operation between the general practitioners and all departments
of the local authority, medical and welfare services working together in the Centre.
"During the year there has been an increase in the uses made in the Health Centre for teaching
purposes. There have been attachment of medical students from the Middlesex Hospital, and a start has been
made in the teaching of Postgraduates in vocational training for general practitioners. In addition there have
been many visits made by trainee health visitors, etc., which duties have been undertaken by the local authority
staff".
On 27th January the Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security, stated he was
prepared to approve the Council's proposals to provide a Health Centre at Neasden, subject to agreement to
need and consideration of the scheme in detail. The Centre will be in Balnacraig Avenue, Neasden, and will
be formed by extending the existing health clinic which was opened in June 1961. It will accommodate five
general practitioners who have signed declarations of intent and additional accommodation will be provided for
the Council's personal health services. During the year, meetings were held with the general practitioners and
plans were agreed. The scheme was submitted to the Department of Health and approved in principle on 24th
November. At the end of the year working drawings had commenced.