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KENTISH TOWN HEALTH CENTRE
1.3.1 Two large group practices — the James Wigg Centre group practising from
112, Kentish Town Road and the Caversham Centre group in Caversham Road, N.W.5 —
had expressed interest in practising from a health centre, and after much search a site
which had recently been purchased by the Council at the western end of the Bartholomew
Estate was suggested as suitable for such a centre. The Council agreed that this site,
bounded by Bartholomew Road, Bartholomew Villas and Lawford Road, should be made
available for this purpose. The site is close to Kentish Town Road, the main shopping
centre for the area where the post office and other services are provided, and it happens
to be almost mid-way between the surgeries of the two group practices, and some
200 yards from the Kentish Town Family Health Clinic.
1.3.2 Through the Inner London Executive Council all the doctors practising within
half a mile of the site were consulted, and although interest was shown by a number of
doctors, only those comprising the two group practices were finally prepared to commit
themselves to the scheme. It is proposed that the Health Centre should replace the
Kentish Town Family Health Clinic, extending the services which are provided there and
broadening them by the provision of geriatric clinics etc. The Centre will also have two
full-time chiropodists, and will provide dental services for school-children and priority
classes; with audiometry, speech therapy, ophthalmic services and minor ailments clinics
for school-children, some of these services being transferred from the School Treatment
Centre in Prince of Wales Road.
1.3.3 it was later agreed that provision should also be made for a dental practitioner.
1.3.4 Considerable discussion followed on the ways in which the centre might function,
so as to provide a building which would allow the best possible methods of working rather
than a standardised design which, whilst suiting traditional methods of practice, might
limit progress.
1.3.5 Many meetings were held with the general practitioners (usually in an informal
setting over a "bread and cheese lunch") and all were attended by the Borough Architect's
representatives. In this way the concept gradually emerged of a "flow" of patients from
reception to consulting room to examination room and to treatment area.
1.3.6 The treatment area is quite different from the usual idea of a treatment room: the
nurse in charge will be able to oversee and control the examination rooms, give assistance
where necessary with undressing and dressing, carry out many of the routine tests
Ce.g. urine testing, weighing, etc.) and act as chaperone as required. This method of
working promises to allow the maximum use of ancillary staff and relieve the doctors of
those duties which could properly be done by other staff.
1.3.7 Certain other principles were incorporated in the general ideas for the design of
the building:—
(a) that in what was likely to be a very expensive building no room
or area should be provided that was not used for a minimum of
10 hours per week;
(b) that the design should allow the maximum sharing of both staff
and accommodation;
(c) that there should be a common room, canteen, or similar place
where all the staff using the health centre could be encouraged
to meet informally so as to foster the working of the health
centre as a whole rather than in isolated units;
(d) that the Centre should play an important part in teaching,
especially of medical undergraduates. With the help of the
King Edward Vll Hospital Fund additional accommodation was
planned for this purpose and already in the planning stages a
firm link was established with University College Hospital
Medical School, whose Vice-Dean took part in some of the planning
discussions.
1.3.8 After much preparatory work a brief was prepared and the Borough Architect produced
a sketch plan which was subjected to a number of amendments. There were at this
time no building notes for guidance on health centres, but the brief and the sketch plans
were discussed with officers of the (then) Ministry of Health and of the Inner London
Executive Council and during a long session certain limitations as to the size of rooms
and in particular the size of the treatment area were finally agreed.
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