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HEALTH AND WELFARE DEPARTMENT
TOWN HALL,
WALLINGTON, SURREY.
To The Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Members of the Council of the
London Borough of Sutton.
Mr.Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my Annual Report for 1967.
The production of an Annual Report is a statutory requirement
placed on those holding the office of Medical Officer of Health.
It is also a privilege to have the opportunity of presenting a comprehensive
review of the Council's achievements in promoting and maintaining the health
and welfare of the community and in support of those citizens who are unable
to provide for themselves. The report would not however be fulfilling its
proper function if it did not at the same time point to those areas of need
which are as yet incompletely met.
Since the inception of the London Borough in 1965 there has
been a greatly increased demand for your health and welfare services. This
has been experienced in all sections of the work and the provision made for
expansion in the Ten Year Development Plan has been more than justified.
Many factors may have contributed to creating this situation, not least of
which must have been the closer relationship which now exists between your
officers, the people they serve and those other agencies which contribute
to the community's well-being. Service seems to beget a demand for more service
and on all sides has to be rendered with regard to priorities of need rather
than to meet its every aspect. Increasing longevity, better medical treatment,
greater awareness of social, personal and environmental health problems all
bring in their wake increased call for supportive services. Higher standards
are continually being demanded by an evolving society and enforced by
legislation. These have to be met from existing resources in a climate of
financial stringency which limits expansion of the work.
Environmental Health
A community can achieve its full potential of health and social
well-being only if the environment in which it lives is favourable.
Services provided for the support of its most vulnerable members tend to
occupy a more prominent place in the public mind than those which deal with the
more impersonal side of life. Particular attention is drawn to the breadth
and depth of the Environmental Health Services as demonstrated in Part VI
of this report. The work of this Section has been handicapped by staffing
difficulties and it is much to the credit of those concerned that standards
have been maintained and work in some fields expanded.
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