[Report 1971] / Medical Officer of Health, Newquay (Cornwall) Town & U.D.C.

  • Newquay (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1971
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1971] / Medical Officer of Health, Newquay (Cornwall) Town & U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    To the Chairman and Members of the Council, I have the honour to present the Annual Report on the Health and Sanitary Circumstances of the Newquay Urban District for the year 1971. The Report is not only a health report, it is a healthy one - the infant mortality rate is only one third of the national rate, the death rate much below the figures for England and Wales, and the very few notifiable diseases speaks well for Newquay as a healthy town. Undoubtedly the extensive immunisation programme and the high acceptance rate by parents for prophylactic measures against notifiable diseases have contributed largely to their virtual absence^ It would be foolish to suggest that there are no problems, A town with the popularity of Newquay must have problems related to seasonal increases of population, the demands such increases make on catering, the need for casual labour in all parts of the tourist industry, and the strain thrown on all local services, such as water supplies, drainage and refuse collection. It says much for local efficiency that the problems posed are not allowed to become too obtrusive. The Family Planning Clinic mentioned in last year's report started to function in 1971® Thanks must be extended to the many voluntary workers who assist in this work, and also to the various voluntary workers in other fields. e. g<> those who work in child welfare clinics. It is pleasant to record the great help extended by the District Hospital in housing the cervical cytology clinic. The mild climate attracts many older people who wish to retire and live away from the smoke and dirt of industrial areas. The population is therefore weighted rather strongly towards an older age group. Those services dealing with the aged are much in demand, such services as home help etc. The increased demand for labour in the holiday season makes for greater difficulty in retaining home helps. This report, unlike so many annual reports, has been easy to write because of the actual evidence of good circumstances highlighted by the statistics.