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The Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen and Members of the Council,
Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present the Annual Report of the Health Department for the year
1972 incorporating the Statutory Report of the Medical Officer of Health and the
Principal School Medical Officer.
II is not yet certain mho will be responsible for the preparation of the Annual Report
for 1973 as a result of National Health Service Reorganisation. It is not possible to
publish annual reports before the second half of the following year by which time in
1974 there will be no such post as Medical Officer of Health and Principal School
Medical Officer.
Vital Statistics
The birth rate in 1972 shows a significant decrease compared with 1971. It is not possible
to state whether this is as a result of better family planning services or the result of a
diminishing percentage of the population in the age group 16 to 45 years, possibly both
factors.
The death rate increased in 1972 compared to 1971, but the latter was an exceptional
year.
For the second year in succession there were only two deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis.
The number of deaths from cancer of the lung, which fell considerably in 1971 compared
with 1970, has unfortunately increased again.
The most interesting death statistic is that of suicide where it will be noted that there has
been a diminishing number of suicides every year since 1969, the figures for 1972 being
only one third of the 1969 figure.
Infectious Disease
The increase in the number of cases of Measles notified is regrettable since Measles could
be irradicated in the same way as Diphtheria and Poliomyelitis if parents would only
take advantage of Measles vaccination as recommended by the family doctors. Local
Authority medical officers and health visitors etc.
Community Nursing Services
The Clinical Centre at Cheam Nurses Home became fully operational during 1972 when
the Sutton Nurses Home was closed. I am very grateful to the Cheam and Sutton
Nursing Associations for their agreement to meet the cost of the installation of a
telecommunications service which will be a tremendous help not only in the midwifery
but in the home nursing service.
The volume of work of the Community Nursing Services is given in detail in the report.
Increasing emphasis has been placed by the health visitors in treating families as a whole
rather than their predominant role in the past which was for children under the age of
5 years and the elderly.
The number of visits made by the home nurses continues to increase in spite of the fact
that a very considerable number of treatments by nurses are carried out at Robin Hood
Lane Health Centre
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