A Chronology of State Medicine, Public Health, Welfare and Related ...

1972 Cont 1
1972 cont Poisons Act (c.66) consolidated previous acts dealing with the list of poisons, the
regulation of their sale and storage, and the constitution of the Poisons Board.
Deposit of Poisonous Waste Act (c.21) prohibited the deposition of certain wastes
without the knowledge of local authorities and water boards. See 1974.
School leaving age raised to 16 years from September.
"Framework for Government Research and Development", Cmnd.5046, set out the
Government's acceptance of many of Lord Rothschild's recommendations (1971); gave
details of the transfer of funds from the research councils to the customer departments;
announced its intention to reconstitute the Council for Scientific Policy; and to appoint a
chief scientist to the Department of Health and Social Security. Later RHL Cohen was
appointed to this post. See 1978.
The Committee (chairman, MA Bains) set up by the Department of the Environment in
its report, "The New Local Authorities: Management and Structure", criticised the ingrained
departmental approach "whereby each major department was very much a law unto itself
reporting to its relevant committee"; and recommended a corporate approach to management
with the appointment of a chief executive; the creation of a central management committee;
reduction in the number of committees; and the removal of the protected status of certain
officers. Similar recommendations were made in Scotland (see 1973).
"National Health Service Reorganisation: England" (White Paper), Cmnd.5055, added
some details to the outline proposals in the 1971 consultative document. The paper set out the
structure, functions, membership and officers of the regional and area health authorities, and
of the family practitioner committees; the Boards of Governors of the undergraduate teaching
hospitals to be abolished and the hospitals to be managed within the area and regional
structure; and community health councils to be set up at district level. Environmental health,
personal social services and aspects of health education to remain with local government, but
the other previous duties of the departments of medical officers of health, including school
health services, to be transferred to the NHS. Responsibility for the health of persons in
relation to their employment to remain with the Department of Employment. The White
Paper stated that the new specialists in community medicine would be concerned with
"assessing need for health services, evaluating the effectiveness of existing services and
planning the best use of health resources. Equally, they will concern themselves with
developing preventive health services, with the links between the health and the local
authority personal social, environmental health and education services, and with providing
the medical advice and help which local authorities will need for the administration of those
and other services". See 1973.
"National Health Service Reorganisation in Wales", Cmnd.5057, proposed eight area
health boards responsible directly to the Secretary of State for Wales, and the establishment
of the Welsh Technical Services Organisation.
Women Doctors Retainer Scheme introduced into the NHS to enable doctors who
could only work occasional sessions to continue involvement in medical practice.
The Staff Advisory Committee, which in 1973 became the NHS Staff Commission,
was set up to organise and supervise the appointments and transfers of staff from the old to
the new authorities. See 1975.
The Steering Committee on Management Arrangements for the Reorganised National
Health Service (chairman, Sir Philip Rogers) set out the management structure and job
descriptions of the senior officers in considerable detail. Each health district was to have a
district management team composed of the administrator, the secretary, the community