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Five doctors have agreed to take part in the Health Centre
and they will be actively consulted, together with the Executive
Council, at all stages of planning.
High Road
Woodford,
Health Centre
The Council has long planned a clinic at High Road, Woodford,
and only the acquisition of more land adjacent to the
site, making a comprehensive redevelopment possible, had
delayed the start of the scheme. In retrospect, this delay was
fortunate because it enabled consultations to take place with
local doctors, several of whom have agreed to enter a Health
Centre on that site. It is hoped that both the Woodford High
Road Health Centre and the Goodmayes Lane Health Centre
will be started in 1968/69.
Future
Developments
In 1948, sites were set aside in the Development Plan for
Health Centres but only three of these remain. These are at
Vista Drive, Redbridge, Barley Lane, Chadwell Heath and at
Goodmayes Lane, However, other sites in mind are on railway
land near Goodmayes Station and at Wanstead Place. There is a
need for a Health Centre in the Newbury Park area but building
land is at present unobtainable. Other sites, including part of
the Central Redevelopment Area, will no doubt become available
as time goes on and each one will be carefully evaluated.
Design of
Health Centres
The design of Health Centres must incorporate the needs
of the Local Health Authority, general practice, and to a certain
extent specialist clinics. Local Health Authority use includes
the traditional functions of public health, that is to say antenatal,
maternal and child welfare, school health, health education,
dentistry and chiropody, together with district offices
for health visitors and office accommodation for a district
nurse. General practitioners require consulting rooms, examination
cubicles, waiting room space and space for minor pathological
procedures and minor operations. There must also be a
focal point where all staff using the centre can meet and exchange
information and experiences. It is possible also that
some Health Centres will provide general dental and pharmaceutical
services.
Integration
Although the Local Health Authority has power to build
Health Centres for general practitioners alone, this course of
action should be followed only in the most unusual circumstances.
Instead, the over-riding consideration should be as
complete an integration as possible between public health and
general practice. This will be largely accomplished by an increased
use by general practitioners of health visitors and