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28
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE
The personal health services became the responsibility of the London
County Council on 5th July, 1948, and the operation of the services in
London will be the subject of a report by the Medical Officer of Health
for the County Council.
The Borough of Deptford is included in Division 6, together with the
Boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich but in order to give some indication
of the services provided in the area of the Borough as distinct from the
Division, the Divisional Medical Officer has kindly supplied the figures
which are included in this Section.
It is not possible to compare the services with those provided either
before the war or immediately after it. In some sections, notably that of
diphtheria immunisation, the service was stimulated during the war by a
national campaign and has increased accordingly; in the provision of
home helps the demand increased rapidly and tremendously when the
National Health Service Act came into force. Day nurseries were essentially
a war-time provision whose usefulness has ensured their continuation,
The pre-war Maternity Home in Wickham Road and the Babies Hospital
in Breakspears Road which were provided by the Borough Council were
closed during the war and were not re-opened.
The efficiency of the present services may be judged by the vital statistics
and other information included in this Report. The reduction in the loss
of infant life, in the number of cases of diphtheria notified and the absence
of any deaths from this disease are a good indication of the satisfactory
state of the personal health services in preventing disease. The higher
standards of health which are accepted and even demanded by the public
show that the personal health services have played their part in the
promotion of health.
The administration of the services in Deptford is in the hands of the
Divisional Medical Officer, Dr. F. R. Waldron, and he is assisted in the
day-to-day work by the Medical Officers of Health of the three boroughs.
It is gratifying to be able to record that co-operation between these officers
and between the County Council and Borough Council staffs have been
probably more friendly and complete than in any other part of London
and special tribute should be paid to Dr. Waldron for this result.