[Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council.

  • Somerset (England). County Council.
Date:
1958
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1958] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/88 (page 15)
    health visitors, periodic reports being called for, and the condition of the children so kept vividly in the mind of the supervisory staff. The Children’s Officer is informed of these families who are under special observation, but takes no action unless conditions deteriorate to “pro¬ blem” level. DENTAL CARE - REPORT OF THE CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER It is with great regret that I have to report no improvement in the staffing position during the year. 1958 started with 11 whole-time and 5 part-time dental officers, making the equivalent of 13 2/11 whole-time, and ended with 12 whole-time and 3 part-time, giving the equivalent of 13 1/11 dental officers. The authorised establishment is 20. The con¬ tinuing general shortage of dentists in the country as a whole, the much greater financial attractions of general practice, and the ease with which a practice may now be established, combine to make a serious obstacle to recruitment to the Local Authority Dental Service. This state of affairs has continued more or less for ten years now, and the resulting lack of dental treatment has had very unfortunate consequences. The general practitioners of Somerset have helped considerably in some areas, but this help extends only to those children whose parents are enlighten¬ ed enough to seek out treatment themselves. It does not affect the majo¬ rity of the children, nor does it affect the obligations of the local author¬ ity to provide our Dental Service in which the principle of prevention is the main purpose. With regard to the facilities for dental treatment in Somerset, clinics have been provided in the main towns, but in some rural areas treatment has had to be done by the dental officer taking portable equip¬ ment with him to the school or nearby temporary accommodation, such as a Village Hall. It is at best a make-do arrangement, and although the dental officers use much ingenuity in setting up these temporary clinics it is never a satisfactory arrangement. Because of this, it has been agreed to provide mobile dental clinics in some areas. Two have been in use during the last year, and the experience of using these mobile dental clinics has shown that they are a highly valuable and much appreciated improvement on the facilities provided by our dental service, and their use has demonstrated the need to supply further mobile clinics in those areas where dental officers and patients are still having to make do in improvised accommodation in schools and parish halls, and with limited types of portable equipment. The new dental laboratory at Musgrove Park was oi^ened during the year. These premises are planned for their purpose and accommodate