[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Gillingham (Kent) Borough.

  • Gillingham (Kent, England). Borough Council.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Gillingham (Kent) Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Health Department, Municipal Buildings, Gil 1 ingham , Kent . Telephones Medway 50021 November, 1965» To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Borough of Gillingham. I am pleased to submit my Annual Report for the year ending 31st December, 1964. This has been a year of consolidation of the services and of plans for expansion in the future. We watched with growing enthusiasm the progress of the Twydall Clinic from the drawing board to the completed clinic, which will be opened at the beginning of 1965. This Clinic will meet the demand on the Twydall Estate that has not been adequately catered for at the rented premises in Goudhurst Road and it is there in 1965 that we hope to open Special Care Clinics for the under five handicapped which received the County Council’s approval during 1964° Attendances at the other infant welfare clinics have increased and extra sessions have been necessary to cope with the demand. There is still, however, a great shortage of health visitors in the borough and the work of the clinics and of'visiting the under fives at home is making great demands on the small staff we have. The appointment during the year of an assistant district officer has increased the volume of work passing through the hands of the welfare services? as is true of all services, the demands on that service increase as its provisions are made more widely known and only by increasing the staff in this section can these provisions be made known by individual visits to those in need in their homes. A full time craft instructor is employed in the borough and she has been able to visit many home bound handicapped people to give them craft work which will be sold at displays in the town during the coming year. The public health section of the department operated under great difficulties during the year owing to staff shortages and it was necessary to report to the Committee on a number of occasions the concern we felt because we could not protect the public, particularly in relation to food hygiene, or give them the service to which they were entitled. The appointment of two technical assistants during the year to deal initially with the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act has made possible the operation of this Act in the borougn. I would like to thank the Council for their support and the staff of the Health Department for their enthusiastic work during the year. HELEN E. MAIR Medical Officer of Health. 1 -
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