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TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL,,
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The presentation of ray report for the year 1965, first for the
London Borough of Sutton, is made in accordance with Circular l/66 of the
Ministry of Health. It is the duty of a Medical Officer of Health to become
familiar with all matters affecting or likely to affect the health of the
populace at large and to advise the Lo^al Health Authority on the services
necessary to prevent illness and to promote health, defined by the World
Health Organisation as a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
This, in the new Authority which came into full operation on
1st April, 1965? presented no small task. Services hitherto divided between
the central County Council administration at Kingston-upon-Thames, the
three Divisional County Offices at Epsom, Carshalton and Wallington and the
Health Departments of the Sutton and Cheam, Carshalton and Beddington and
Wallington Councils were, on that date, to be amalgamated into a single
administrative unit. Staff, quite unfamiliar with many aspects of the work
of the transferred services and totally inexperienced in regard to some,
were to become responsible for their implementation. It was determined at
the outset that the primary consideration would be to ensure that no person
receiving health and welfare services would suffer from the transfer and it is
a tribute to the loyal devotion of staff at all levels that this objective
was very largely achieved.
The period from January to April was occupied with setting up the
new department, appointing staff, arranging office accommodation, the transfer
of records and so on. During this phase the maintenance of existing services
at the same time as establishing those of the future presented a major problem
and I wish to record my sincere appreciation of the assistance given by the
officers of all the Authorities previously responsible. The transfer was
achieved with minimum disturbance to work in the field though I must confess
to some apprehension at that time and during the following few weeks as to our
ability to control a major epidemic of serious infectious disease. No doubt
with this, as with all the many other problems which seemed insoluble at the
time, a solution would have been found.
So far as Health and Welfare Services are concerned one of the
objects of the Royal Commission's recommendation for re-organisation was
"to paper over the cracks" which were inherent in the previous Local Authority
administrative structure. Very early on in the life of the new Borough
invitations were extended to me for membership of various administrative
and professional committees of local hospital and general practitioner services.
Numerous voluntary organisations within the Borough invited representation at
member and officer level to their executive committees and in all cases
these were accepted. Liaison committees were also established between
the Ministry of Health, the South West Regional Hospital Board and Local Health
Authorities at member and officer level. The Borough Council continued the
arrangement whereby a Consultant Chest Physician is appointed jointly with the
Regional Board and has established the new joint appointment of a Consultant
Psychiatrist. Both of these members of the hospital staff are much concerned
with common ground between the hospital and community services. A close
working relationship has been established with the Consultant Geriatrician
responsible for the hospital geriatric service which extends into the field
of domiciliary visiting.
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