This makes it difficult to control the introduction of new technology, as every county council is free to take any decision irrespective of costs.
The 41 non-county boroughs (out of 309), and 18 urban districts (out of 572), supplied services to their inhabitants in combination with a county council.
On the other hand, the political composition of the county council seems to be important only for the establishment of private specialists.
There are also units for health promotion activities in each county council.
The data sources are considered valid, as all hospitals and primary health-care centres are run by the county council.
This situation has improved, as patients are free to seek care outside the county council where they live.
At the time of the study, such easy access to general practice (without making an appointment by telephone) was stipulated as mandatory by the county council.
A wartime social survey of 1944 found that only seventeen per cent of the farmers questioned had consulted their county council agricultural organiser in the years before 1939.
