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On 1st April, 1965, the establishment of Public Health Inspectors
was 18 but, in fact, there were two vacancies. During the year two
more Inspectors left to take up appointments elsewhere and one new
Inspector joined the staff so that at the end of the year there were
three vacancies. These vacancies represent several hundred visits,
and whilst duties such as requests for visits, food inspection, meat
inspection at the slaughterhouse, infectious disease enquiries and the
like were given priority, work of a routine nature, i.e., inspections of
food premises, factories and work places, stables, etc., and sampling
work, tended to be curtailed or neglected. The Inspectors are also
required to carry out a great deal of work in connection with the
Housing Acts and by the end of the year arrears of this and other
work were becoming an embarrassment.
The assistance of the seven Technical Assistants in the fields of
rodent control, smoke control, and offices, shops and railway premises
administration must be acknowledged but, valuable though these
Officers are, they cannot replace Public Health Inspectors in the carrying
out of statutory duties.
It is to be hoped that the staff situation may be improved during
1966 so that more time may be devoted to other aspects of environmental
hygiene.
G. H. COCKELL,
Chief Public Health Inspector.
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