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All these houses are incapable of being made fit at a reasonable cost and their continued occupation
is a matter of some concern. The need for new houses continues, but satisfactory housing does not
depend on and cannot await the building of new dwellings. The maintenance of existing houses in
a habitable condition and the improvement or demolition of sub-standard houses must be pursued to
provide a balanced housing programme. Little use has been made locally of the " improvement grants "
available to landlords under recent housing legislation.
The Housing Department is kept informed of adverse housing conditions coming to the notice
of the Health Department. Assistance is given to the Housing Department in the assessment of applications
for re-housing where priority is claimed on medical or public health grounds.
GENERAL MATTERS
Burials.— Under Section 50 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, it is the duty of the Council
to arrange the burial of any person who has died in the district, where it appears that there are no
suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body. During 1954, two burials were arranged in accordance
with this section.
Public Mortuary.— The public mortuary is situated on the grounds of Holy Trinity Church.
The premises are out-of-date and unsuitable for post-mortem examinations or the retention of a body
for other than a very short time, so by arrangement with Acton Borough Council and the Coroner,
bodies are taken direct to or transferred to Acton Mortuary. The Council pays a proportion of the
cost of the maintenance of the Acton Mortuary.
Medical Examination of Staff.— For superannuation or other purposes, 27 members of the
Council's staff were referred to the Health Department for medical examination.
Health Education.— Posters issued by the Central Council for Health Education continued
to be displayed on the boards formerly used by the Empire Marketing Board. During the year, the
Medical Officer of Health gave talks to several organisations in the Borough on various aspects of the
health services. Though the work of the department is not primarily educational, the staff are fully
aware of the opportunities given by their contact with the people for drawing attention to matters bearing
on health and hygiene. Other Departments have co-operated by displaying health education material.
People will submit to hygienic procedures which do not involve them in any personal effort, but
will avoid anything which demands positive action or initiative on their part. This is the real problem
of health education, but there are indications that people are beginning to appreciate the importance
of personal effort in the maintenance of health.
Persons in Need of Care and Attention.— Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948,
places the responsibility on the Council of taking action to secure " the necessary care and attention for
persons who—
(a) are suffering from grave chronic disease or, being aged, infirm or physically incapacitated,
are living in insanitary conditions and
(b) are unable to devote to themselves, and are not receiving from other persons, proper care and
attention."
1 he action to be taken involves application to the Court for an Order for the compulsory removal
of the person concerned to the institution or hospital. The National Assistance (Amendment) Act, 1951,
shortens the legal procedure for obtaining an Order "if it is certified by the medical officer of health
and another registered medical practitioner that in their opinion it is necessary, in the interests of the
person, to remove him without delay." Before bringing such cases to the notice of the Council, every
effort is made to arrange voluntary admission or for the necessary care to be given by relatives, friends,
Despite the growing interest of statutory and voluntary agencies in the welfare of the aged, cases
come to the notice of the Department of neglected aged persons living in insanitary conditions. Such
persons are usually most reluctant to accept assistance or to go to hospital or institution, but fortunately,
>n most cases, peaceful persuasion secures their co-operation in some degree and the necessary action
can he taken. In one case only was it necessary to seek authority to apply for an Order, but before
the Order could be obtained, the man concerned agreed to go to hospital.
Laundry Service.— One of the problems in the care of aged and sick persons in their own homes
is soiled clothing and bed linen. Where washing facilities are poor and the persons concerned neither
are nor can afford assistance, the cleansing of clothing and bedding presents serious difficulty. In
some cases, action under Section 84 of the Public Health Act, 1936, is the only solution and the Council
as made arrangements with a laundry firm for the cleansing of articles where the Medical Officer of
ealth has issued the certificate required by the Act. The number of cases in which such action has
'een necessary is small, but the provision of these facilities has met a genuine need.
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