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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Sutton and Cheam.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present to you the Annual
Report on the health of the Borough for the year 1946.
This first year of peace brought full realisation
of the evil consequences of war. The serious deficiency in
housing accommodation was accentuated by the steady increase
in population to pre-war proportions. Shortages in labour
and materials retarded progress in building. No new houses,
other than the replacement of war damaged houses, were
completed. Rehousing was limited to the accommodation of
distressed families in requisitioned houses and in premises
adapted as communal dwellings. Progress in the preparation
of plans and acquisition of sites for approximately 500
houses continued. At the end of the year the number of
applicants for houses exceeded 3,000. It is apparent that
only one sixth of these applicants can be provided with new
houses under local plans, and that the remainder must await
a fuller development of the National Housing programme.
Social, domestic and medical problems related
to housing and involving the care of the aged, the welfare
of children and the prevention of infectious illness became
more serious and were complicated by an increasing shortage
of beds in hospitals and sanatoria. These problems were
considerably relieved by the fine service of domiciliary
nursing provided by the District Nursing Associations,
The general health and nutritional standard of
the population remained good. There was no major epidemic
of infectious disease. An outbreak of Diphtheria among
children attending a school outside the Borough remained
localised.
There was a rise in the birth rate, and a rise
in the death rate. The infantile mortality rate rose sharply
from the record low level of the previous year. The maternal
mortality rate remained low.
The work of general sanitation, of the prevention
of nuisances, and of the protection of food, was efficiently
carried out under the direction of the Chief Sanitary Inspector
(Mr. C.W.Newbery) who has done excellent work under difficult
conditions in securing the many urgent sanitary repairs
required to maintain the habitability of houses, and in
helping to preserve the amenities of the district.
The water supply of the district maintained a
high standard of chemical and bacteriological purity.
Effective control by daily sampling and by chlorination was
continued.
The Council's Civil Ambulance Service was
efficiently conducted. A Bedford Ambulance in excellent
condition was presented to the Council by the Board of Sutton
and Cheam Hospital, and is a valuable asset to the Ambulance
Service.