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I give below, briefly, the statistics for the year:-
No. of cases who received service in 1965
(of these 3,626 were 65 years of age or
more and 82 were maternity cases) 4,591
No. of effective visits by organising staff 7,874
No. of ineffective visits by organising staff 1,188
No. of whole-time home helps at 31.12.65 80
No. of part-time home helps at 31.12.65 451
Total whole-time equivalent 373.5
SECTION 21 - HEALTH CENTRES
Two sections of the National Health Service Act have not been dealt with
Sections 27 and 21: Section 27 dealing with the Ambulance Service is not the
concern of the Hackney London Borough Council, but the concern of the Greater
London Council; Section 21 deals with health centres.
When the National Health Service Act came into being, Health Centres, combining
general practitioner group practices, the local authority personal health
services, and even certain of the hospital services, were to be the corner-stone
of the new National Health Service. For a variety of reasons, the idea never
progressed very far. However, the first, and probably the biggest health centre
built, was the Woodberry Down Health Centre, now re-named the John Scott Health
Centre. The Centre incorporated all aspects of the local authority health
services; provided for six family doctors; a section for the child guidance
services of the Education Authority; dental services; other ancillary services
such as laboratory, X-ray, and even operating facilities from the hospitals.
This Centre became a show-piece the world over, and was visited by important
foreign visitors, British visitors, as well as innumerable students - medical,
sociological, etc. This Centre was inherited as the Woodberry Down Health
Centre on the 1st April, 1965, and during the year, as a tribute to the late
Dr. J.A. Scott, Medical Officer of Health to the London County Council, who had
so much to do with the inception of this Centre, it was re-named the John Scott
Health centre. The Minister of Health, the Rt. Hon. Kenneth Robinson, M.P.,
honoured the Council by unveiling the plaque commemorating the ceremony.
The Centre continues to function, perhaps not quite in the manner originally
intended, but still as a centre that houses general practitioners, local authority
services, dental services, education services, and to a small extent, services
from the hospitals. A booklet was prepared at the re-naming ceremony which
members of the Health Committee received, setting out in detail the current
services. During 1965, the centre was visited by many foreign visitors representing
political and professional organisations, and the centre still
continues to receive students of all types.