View report page

28
Health Department and 9 by the Family Planning Association acting as the
Council's agent. Hackney has an arrangement whereby services provided by
the Association are reimbursed for Hackney residents. In implementing the
provisions of the National Health Service (Family Planning Act 1967) under
which the arrangement with the Family Planning Association was made, it is the
Council's policy that any extension of family planning services should be
directly provided by the Health Department. The latter has for many years
maintained family planning clinics at certain centres. There has been a
considerable increase in the use of the service since the National Health
Service (Family Planning) Act was implemented. Advice is nowadays given
extensively and together with domiciliary visiting includes the young and
the unmarried.
The Young Peoples evening session run by the Family Planning Association
on the Council's behalf at one of the maternal and child health centres was
held weekly throughout the year. In 1969, 156 new patients were seen. The
average attendance per session is 15 of whom four are usually new. Since
January 1969 there has also been a change in the age group attending; there
are now equal numbers of the under 20 year olds as of the 20-24 age group.
The work done in a clinic of this kind is at the present time of vital
importance. Whatever views are held about pre-marital intercourse its
existence has to be faced and accepted. Contraceptive advice must be made
available to these young people. The doctor in charge of the clinic reports
that the patients seen fall into the following groups:-
1. Genuine pre-maritals with wedding date fixed.
2. "steady" affairs with marriage contemplated in the moderate or
distant future.
3. "steady" affairs but marriage not necessarily contemplated.
4. Those having intercourse with more than one person at a time and
marriage with any of them not contemplated.
5. Young patients 12-15 years of age, frankly promiscuous with gross
social problems.
Groups 1, 2 and 3 seem by far the largest, but groups 4 and 5 seem to
present more problems of a deeper nature. It is realised that these patients
have seldom had the opportunity of a frank discussion of all aspects of sex
with someone in a position of authority.
A family planning week held from 3rd to 7th November was sponsored by
three organisations concerned with family planning, the Family Planning
Association (Central London Branch), the Marie Stopes Memorial Clinic and the
Brook Advisory Centres. Its object was to give publicity for present services
and information to members of the public, social workers, teachers and doctors.
Health Departments in the boroughs covered by the Central London Branch took
part in the arrangements. In Hackney Open days with film shows and other
publicity were held at five clinics where Family Planning Association or
Health Department sessions are held. Special posters with the slogan "Family
Clinics Help YOU with Birth Control" were displayed throughout the borough
and Council establishments.
At the end of the year, there was much publicity about the risk of
thrombosis associated with a regular consumption of oral contraceptives.
A statement by the "Committee on Safety of Drugs", the Dunlop Committee,
confirmed that this danger is increased when the oestrogen content is high.
As a safety measure, the issue of pills with a high oestrogen content was
discontinued at the Council's faniily planning clinics. The latter were
circularised with a suitable list subject to revision as new low dose products
came on the market.
Family Planning is such an important part of the work of the borough that
as many medical staff as possible should be able to carry it out. The Family
Planning Association is at present the one body dealing with training and its
certificates are the recognised qualifications for both doctors and nurses.