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101
SECTION IX.-MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.
The Medical Officer of Health is the Administrative Maternity and Child Welfare
Officer, and the immediate supervision of the work is undertaken by the Deputy Medical
Officer of Health.
For the purposes of this work the Borough is divided into six districts. Each district
is a distinct unit having its own centre, superintendent, health visitors and voluntary
committee. The Council has representatives oil each voluntary committee.
The superintendents and health visitors (the latter with a few exceptions) are salaried
officers of the Borough Council and, while working in close co-operation with the voluntary
committees, are under administrative supervision from the Town Hall.
The voluntary committees mentioned in the second paragraph of this section derive
directly from those committees to whose magnificent pioneer work the Maternity and Child
Welfare movement of to-day owns its existence. St. Pancras can claim a special distinction
in that The St. Pancras School for Mothers, now in its 30th year, was the first welfare centre
in its modern conception to be established in this country.
Since the end of the year covered by this report the voluntary committee of the
Caversham Road centre has ceased to function. At the time of writing arrangements are
being made for carrying on the work of this centre directly by the Council.
The Council placed on record its appreciation of the fine work done by this Committee
for many years.
In addition to these six Welfare Centres there are a number of other associations that
render valuable ancillary services in connection {with the Council's Maternity and Child
Welfare scheme.
Co-operation between the Voluntary Committees and the Council is maintained by the
Maternity and Child Welfare (Advisory) Sub-Committee. Representatives of the six
voluntary committees and of the Public Health Committee of the Council serve on this
advisory sub-committee, and to it are referred for consideration and report matters affecting
maternity and child welfare work in the Borough as a whole.
Detailed information as to the work carried out at the different centres, ancillary
services rendered by other associations, and as to the financial contributions made by the
Borough Council will be given later in this section, and refers only to those services to which
the Council make a contribution.
Table I.
Statistical information is given below in the form required by the Ministry of Health, †
1.—Population of the area served by the Council, Registrar General's estimate for
Midsummer, 1936 — 183,900.
2.—Number of births notified in that area during the year under the Notification
of Births Act, 1907, as adjusted by any transferred notifications :—
(a) Live Births—2,358.
(b) Still births—91.
(c) Total*—2,449.
(d) By midwives*—2,073.
(e) By doctors and parents*—376.
*The total of the figures given under (d) and (f) should agree with the figure under (e).
† The following Centres in the Borough are not included in the table for the reason that grant is qot [aid by
the Borough Council f—Royal Free Hospital and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital.