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The Home Nursing Service remained in a very precarious state throughout the year and
gave rise to much anxiety concerning its ability to meet future commitments. Its improvement
is one of the most urgent, and at the same time one of the most difficult, of the problems
facing the Council at the present time.
Demands on the ambulance service continued to increase, and had not shown signs of
reaching any steady level by the end of the year. Fortunately they remained within the
capacity of the service to handle without undue strain.
The transfer should be noted of the Osborne Road Day Nursery to the Education Department
for use as a Nursery School.
The main developments within the school health service were the bringing into operation
of a system of regular hygiene inspections of school premises at the completion of each periodic
medical inspection and the adoption (and adaptation) of the new Ministry of Education Form 10b
M for recording the results of nutritional surveys in new entrants. For the most part the
service continued to work smoothly. Negotiations proceeded during the year regarding the
acceptance by the Regional Hospital Board of financial responsibility for the Specialist
Clinics: it was felt to be of great importance to retain them within the framework of the
school health service if they were to continue to serve the best interests of the children
for whom they were originally provided,,
Finally, it gives me pleasure to record my gratitude for the sustained interest and
support of the Committees during a year which was not without its measure of difficulties.
The staff of all departments also deserve a tribute for the loyal and ungrudging manner
in which they bore their share of the burden and contributed so much to the success of
the services.
I am,
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
F. ROY DENNISON,
Medical Officer of Health and
School Medical Officer.
Municipal Health Offices,
223/5, Romford Road,
West Ham, E.7.
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