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Unmarried Mothers
Unmarried mothers need all the personal health services available
to married women and in addition many of them need a
great deal of special help and continuous sympathetic support. In
addition unmarried mothers seeking the help of the health visitors
are, where appropriate, given the address of a Moral Welfare
Worker from whom they may seek advice if they so desire. In
many cases the Moral Welfare Worker and health visitor work
together to ensure that an unmarried mother who wishes to remain
at home and keep her baby shall receive as much help as possible.
Many women in this position of course prefer to remain quite
independent and make their own arrangements through the normal
maternity and child health services of the Borough.
The three mother-and-baby homes in the area are registered as
nursing homes and inspected regularly by medical officers and
public health inspectors. The health visitor for the area visits
each home regularly and follows-up the mothers and babies on
discharge.
Cervical cytology
During the year the department greatly extended the Cervical
Cytology Service. Two new clinics were opened and publicity
campaigns produced very good responses. All women over 25 years
of age are offered the service. A short medical history is taken
and there is then a full gynaecological examination during which
cervical and vaginal smears are obtained.
The sessions are conducted by women doctors with gynaecological
experience and in every case the family doctor receives
a full clinical and cytological report. Women attending a clinic
are notified of the result directly in all negative cases but whenever
a clinical condition warranting treatment is found the patient
is advised to see her family doctor.
Cancer prevention requires constant publicity and unceasing
health education of women who are at risk. This has been done