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4
Maternity and Child Welfare.
The activities of the Council under this heading were continued during
1942 with only a few variations noted below.
Grants.—No variation was made in the grants which the Council were
accustomed to pay to various bodies carrying on work ancillary to the
scheme for maternity and child welfare.
Infant Welfare Centres.—718 sessions, 25,536 attendances.
Ante-Natal Clinics.—182 sessions, 3,183 attendances.
Mothercraft Classes.—248 meetings, 3,705 attendances.
Dental Clinic.—Following the destruction of the Dental Clinic by
enemy action, arrangements were made with the London County Council
for dental treatment to be carried out at St. James's Hospital, this service
commencing in March, 1941. During the year 93 mothers and 66 children
were referred to tha Clinic, and of these 46 mothers and 34 children had
attended.
Hospitals.—501 cases were referred to hospitals, etc., from the Welfare
Centres, and 3,674 visits were paid at the request of various hospitals, etc.
National Dried Milk and Vitamins.—Throughout the year, National
dried milk and fruit juice and cod liver oil, supplied by the Ministry of
Food, have been distributed to children and expectant mothers through the
Public Health Department and the Welfare and Ante-natal Clinics. The
totals issued during the year were: National Dried Milk, 6,951; Fruit Juice,
21,402; Codf Liver Oil, 6,221.
Supplementary Clothing Coupons.—During the year, books of supplementary
clothing coupons to the number of 1,650 were issued to expectant
mothers by the staff of the Public Health Department.
Dinners.—Women and children were still sent for dinners to the
dining rooms of the Women's League of Service at Southlands. The
Invalid Kitchens Association also supplied meals during the year from a
kitchen established in Balham, the dinners being delivered at the home of
the patient.
Maternal Mortality.—2 deaths, giving a maternal mortality rate of 1.24
per 1,000 births, live and still.
Unmarried Mothers.—The usual grant of £150 was made to the
Southwark Diocesan Association. 9 Battersea mothers were admitted to
their Homes and stayed1 for 271 days.
Home Helps.—1 case. Cost to Council, £1 1s. 6d.
St. Thomas's Babies Hostel.—Transferred from Wiltshire to Puttenham,
near Guildford, in September. Alderman Mrs. Bowler was reappointed
to represent the Council on a Committee formed to promote the
revival of the hostel's activities. Work done—In-patients 27 (11 mothers,
16 babies), total stay 1,455 days. The annual grant of £400 per annum was
continued by the Council.
Nursing.—The District Nurses, under contract with the) Council, paid
4,726 visits to 510 cases, of which 196 were patients suffering from infectious
disease.