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7
Preface
HEALTH & WELFARE DEPARTMENT,
Telephone: 17/23 Clements Road,
ILFord 3020 ILFORD.
July, 1966
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I submit herewith the first Annual Report of the Health and Welfare Services
of the London Borough of Redbridge. There has been some rearrangement of the
contents and a new cover (designed by the Architect's Department) to emphasise
a new start and a new borough. Epidemiology, formerly discussed in this
preface, is now dealt with elsewhere, and as comments on the London Government
change-over appeared both in the last Health Report for the Borough of Ilford,
which was perforce presented to the Redbridge Borough Council in 1965, and in
the first Annual Report of the Council 1965-1966, the topic will not be elaborated
upon again.
The sudden death of Dr. Brown, my Associate Medical Officer of Health,
and formerly Medical Officer of Health for Wanstead and Woodford, was a sad
loss to the department. His friendship and support made the transfer much
easier, and the shortage of senior medical administrative staff, exacerbated
by the retirement of Dr. D. M. B. Gross, Associate deputy Medical Officer of
Health, has been the more keenly felt.
"Tripartheid" or Triunity
Some problems of the Health and Welfare State are repeatedly discovered
and rediscovered and publicised by newcomers and amateurs in these fields,
without any appreciation of the fact that the difficulties have been known to the
professionals for many years, and that solutions are constantly being sought.
An example is the assertion that many different kinds of social workers worry
'he same client. Another example, the one I intend to discuss here, is the
suggested deleterious effect of the tripartite structure of the health services,
i.e. those managed by the Regional Hospital Boards, the Executive Councils
and the Local Health Authorities. An enumeration of the areas where we combine
or associate may surprise many not familiar with our daily routine. The
description that follows has not been set out to show that in Redbridge we have
something special, much of this goes on all over the country, with great
variation from authority to authority. I have tried to concentrate on efforts that
are local, not, for instance, covering all Greater London or similar or larger
are as.
The most obvious, but by no means the most important, is the cross representation
of members and doctors on the statutory committees, i.e. local