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32
FAMILY PLANNING SERVICE
Negotiations continued during the early part of the year with the
Family Planning Association and on the 1st April 1972 the clinics run by
the Association were amalgamated into the Council's Family Planning Service.
The changeover was achieved fairly smoothly and the majority of staff
working in the clinics opted to work for the Council after the change-over
date.
At the same time the Council agreed that there should be a free family
planning service to all Hackney residents and in fact was one of the pioneers
of a free family planning service in the Country.
The free service was extended to cover Hackney residents who for one
reason or another attending family planning association clinics or Brook
Advisory Centres in Central Lcndon but it was requested that Hackney residents
should be advised to attend clinics within the Borough.
Prior to the 1st April 1972 residents from other Boroughs were able to
attend Family Planning Association clinics within the Borough and discussions
took place with other adjacent London Boroughs to try and establish an
arrangement whereby this service could continue. However, asonly the London
Borough of Islington was operating a service comparable with this Borough's,
reciprocal arrangements were entered into with that Borough only. It was
agreed that patients from other Boroughs could be seen on their first visit
after the 1st April but thereafter would be requested to attend clinics
within the Borough where they lived.
Some patients prefer to attend their general medical practitioner for
family planning advice and it was thought that it would be unfair that this
group should have to pay for their supplies if bought from the chemist.
Accordingly an agreement was reached with the Inner London Local Medical
Committee and the Inner London Executive Council that patients of general
medical practitioners should be supplied with free supplies on presenting
a prescription at one of the Council's clinics.
At the innovation of the free family planning service following the
lines of the advice given by the Secretary of State for Health and Social
Security an intensive publicity campaign was promoted. Arrangements were
made with Thames Television for the screening of a short fifteen-second
advertisement in the afternoons during the months of April and May 1972,
also large display insertions were placed in the local press and wide use
was made of revised pamphlets and posters.
It was to be expected that following the considerable improvements in
this service and the corresponding publicity campaign attendances at family
planning clinics should increase during the year. Total attendances during
the year were 14,792 which was an increase of 1,381 over the previous year.
To cope with the greater demands on the service it was found
necessary to open additional clinics. A further session commenced during
April 1972 at the Somerford Grove Health Centre and also an evening
session at Shoreditch Health Centre in June and an lntra-uterine device
session commenced at the Somerford Grove Health Centre in July 1972.