[Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health, Wigan County Borough.

  • Wigan (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health, Wigan County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/108 (page 8)
    In the report, I have included a paragraph on co-ordination and liaison with the other branches of the National Health Service. This has been acknowledged to be most important and it is pleasing to record that there is a considerable degree of liaison and goodwill between the Hospital Services, the General Practitioner Services and Executive Council, and the Staff of the Health Department with un¬ doubted advantage to all concerned. The section dealing with Welfare Services is an inadequate re¬ flection of the work undertaken in the administration of the Council’s functions under the National Assistance Act, 1948. Much time has been spent during the year in the perfection of plans and the location of sites for Aged Persons’ Hostels, and early in 1951, there is no doubt that a start will have been made on the adaptation and extension of Douglas Bank House and later in the jrear the foundation stone of the new building on Norley Hall Estate will be laid. The greatest single problem in this department remains the accommodation of “ homeless families ” and, in my opinion, the only really satisfactory answer is the acquisition of “ Half-way houses,” sub-standard by comparison with modern local authority housing, with a rental in keeping with the ability to pay of this class of tenant. The Chief Sanitary Inspector has commented at length on the work of his department and from a perusal of his report it will be seen that the unceasing toil to improve the environmental hygiene of the Borough continues . I would specially comment upon our efforts to improve the methods of food handling. In this respect the model bye-laws adopted by the Borough will be of assistance but perhaps the greatest improvement will follow from the personal visits of sanitary inspectors to food premises, when information is imparted to the management and to the individual employees. I am indebted to those officers of other Corporation departments who have supplied statistical material for inclusion in this report. Finally, I wish to thank the Chairmen and Members of the Health and Welfare Services Committee for the courtesy and kindness with which they have considered the various suggestions and re¬ commendations made to them, and the staff of the Department for their loyal assistance throughout the year in the common effort to maintain the Public Health. I am, Your obedient servant, J. HAWORTH HIEDITCH, Medical Officer of Health