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During 1971 two factors considerably affected the work of the Environmental
Health Division.
Mr. H. George Cripps, the Chief Public Health Inspector, who had worked in
this area for more than 35 years, was forced to withdraw from the arena due
to ill health. The many tributes that were paid to Mr. Cripps by members of
the Council, his colleagues, and by members of the general public, were an
indication that his services were very highly valued.
The re-organisation of the work of the service on a functional rather than area
basis took place in the second half year. Many reasons of varying importance
contributed to the decision to make this important change. Among these were
included the need to ensure that many responsibilities which might be regarded
as being on the fringe of a Public Health Inspectors duty were properly met; to
improve the supervision and to re-establish greater feeling of job satisfaction, too
frequently an expensive casualty in the ever chaning pattern of departmental
re-structuring and management survey applications, which are so aften a
destructive influence in a modern Local Government service.
It is with some feeling of uneasiness that the Public Health Inspectors approach
a future when the traditional links with the Medical Officer of Health and the
Personal Health Services will be broken, and the Environmental Health Services
may represent the whole of the Local Authorities responsibilities for health
matters. I believe that this report shows that these remaining duties are of a
wide range and important nature, directly affecting the day-to-day well-being
of all citizens of the London Borough of Sutton, and that they have been
performed by ah understanding and enthusiastic group of officers. It represents
a summary of thirty-nine thousand, one hundred and sixty-five (39,165)
inspections and visits by Public Health Inspectors and Technical Assistants during
1971, of thousands of visits by Pest Operatives and General Assistants, and
innumerable calls dealt with by clerical staff relating to complaints, enquiries
grant payments, licence applications etc.
D.A. EVES, D.M.A.,M.R.S.H.,M.A.P.H.I.
Chief Public Health Inspector