[Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Maidenhead Borough and Cookham R.D.C.

  • Maidenhead (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1965
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Maidenhead Borough and Cookham R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/48 (page 3)
    To the Chairmen and Members of the Maidenhead Borough and Cookham Rural District Health Committees. I have the honour to present to you the Annual Report on the health of the Borough of Maidenhead and the Cookham Rural District for the year 1965. This is my first Annual Report as I started my duties here on the 15th June, 1965. My predecessor, Dr. Camm, left at the end of February to take up his new appointment with the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. I hold a joint appointment and my time is apportioned as follows : Medical Officer of Health for Maidenhead Borough and Cookham Rural District Councils. 45%; Assistant County Medical Officer and School Medical Officer, Berkshire County Council, 45'%; Area Medical Officer to the Maidenhead Area Health Sub-Committee, 10%. In the last capacity, I report to the Sub-Committee of the County Health Committee on the Infant Welfare Centres, the Health Visiting Service and the Home Help Service. I am not convinced that such partial delegation of County Health Services is a good idea. In Counties where there is complete divisional administration of the County Health Services, including the School Health Service, it not only adds interest to joint appointments of this type, but also provides more flexibility and local control in the running of these Services. The alternative is, of course, a completely centralised administration of all County Health Services. During the year, the Councils once again discussed fluorida¬ tion of water supplies. Maidenhead Borough Council reaffirmed its previous view that fluoridation of water supplies should be introduced without delay, whereas the Cookham Rural District Council resolved that no recommendation about fluoridation be made to the County Council until the result of further research was known. The Berkshire County Health Committee recom¬ mended that the Council approve, in principle, the addition of fluoride to water supplies naturally deficient, but on the 23rd Octo¬ ber the County Council decided not to take any action. To those of us who believe that flouridation of water supplies would be an invaluable public health measure, this was a bitter disappoint¬ ment. The Minister of Health now thinks apparently that, at this stage, persuasion and voluntary local action is the right way to proceed in this matter. During the year the great fight to obtain a new hospital with a maternity unit for the area continued. On the 12th July, a depu¬ tation from the two Councils went to London to meet representa¬ tives of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. They pressed their claim with vigour and a wealth of argument, and it was decided to back this up with a petition to the Minister of Health. This petition was signed by 18,447 persons and the local Member of Parliament was asked to make arrangements for