[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Benfleet U.D.C., Canvey Island U.D.C., Rayleigh U.D.C., Rochford R.D.C. (South East Essex).

Benfleet (England). Urban District Council.

Date:: 1964

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Benfleet U.D.C., Canvey Island U.D.C., Rayleigh U.D.C., Rochford R.D.C. (South East Essex). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$staff Medical Ojfficei's This lias again been a difficult year with regard to medical staff. I'here has been a considerable amount of sickness and one medical officer was on maternity leave for 18 weeks. In addition, as mentioned in my last annual report, one medical officer was granted days study leave each week for the Diploma of Public Health and I am pleased to report that he was successful in obtaining this Diploma in December. These factors have had their inevitable effect on the service despite the employment of locum tenens wherever possible. The main difficulty with locums arises because whilst there are a number of general practitioners who are able to assist for afternoon sessions, because of commitments to their own practices they can rarely help with morning sessions. As will be seen from statistical information provided later in this report, further ground has been lost in the case of school medical inspections. At the time of preparing this report the prospects appear brighter and it is hoped to make some headway with regard to the backlog during the coming year. Dental Officers Despite the issuing of numerous advertisements it has not been possible to recruit an Area Dental Officer to replace Mr. Burton who resigned in February 1963. The position was, however, improved in September when Mr. Masson, Area Dental Officer, South Essex, agreed to undertake one administrative session per week in this area. This has been of considerable value in the organisation and supervision of the service. There were several minor changes in the staff of school dental officers, the outcome of which was an increase from the equivalent of 3.4 whole time officers to 3.6, a not unsatisfactory position. Health VisitorsjSchool Nurses The difficulty in recruiting staff in this field continues. For some years past it has been necessary to appoint clinic nurses to undertake certain clinics and school nursing duties so as to deploy the health visit- ing staff to the best advantage. Despite this, the position worsened during the year under review, three full-time health visitors and the equivalent of 1.75 whole time clinic nurses left the service and by the end of the year it had only been possible to recruit two health visitors and a half-time clinic nurse. In fact, the establishment of 19 health visitors was increased to 20 in April, the growth of the area calling for same; thus the position has deteriorated even further. There were by December, 16.45 posts filled, a deficiency of 3.55. .S'[>eech Therapists This is another category of staff where we have been hard hit during the year, h'rom January until August the establishment of 1.5 whole time speech therapists was depleted by the resignation of the full-time therapist. A further full-time therapist was appointed in September, h'rom October, a ])art-time therapist was absent on maternity lea\-e, but it was possible to appoint a locum to cover two of the three sessions imolved.$