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8
membership of officers of the various departments as well as ad hoc field
representatives to discuss individual cases.
The Department, of course, has many other and perhaps less obvious duties.
It advises all other departments of the Council on health matters and deals with
staff health; it also co-operates in many research projects run by national
organisations, e.g., surveys into child development, the nutritional state of
certain sections of the community, and into certain developmental handicaps
and malignant diseases. It perhaps goes without saying that the Department
enters into a great deal of liaison with other branches of the National Health
Service, general practitioners and hospitals, to help cover the community care
of residents of Hackney.
The year has not been without its difficulties but even if the sun is not
yet up, we are at least beginning to see the grey light of dawn emerging from
the reorganisation of London's Government. We have received, at all times,
full co-operation from all departments of the Council, and I would express my
thanks to all chief officers and their staffs for the help we have received
from all of them. I would also like to express my thanks to the Chairman of
the Health Committee for his help and advice during the year, and to all Members
of the Committee for their patience, and often forbearance which they have
shown to the Department in these early years of its existence. This Report
goes out solely under my name, but has been contributed to by all the members
of the staff of the Department in greater or lesser measure, and I would wish
to express my thanks to each and everyone for the part they have played in the
working of the Department during the year.
I am, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
ROWLAND GWYN DAVIES,
Medical Officer of Health