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The table of Maternity and Child Welfare work done
is included to show the expansion of work under Welfare
Services with the growth of the child population. The
increase in the number of Health Visitors was belated
as compared with the number of births, but has now been
remedied and its effect in visit's and clinic attenders is
seen in the later columns of the table.
A very pleasing feature is the increased visitation to
expectant mothers when advice so urgently needed by
mothers at this time can be given. I have no doubt that
a bigger proportion of expectant mothers will be visited
in future years, but as many mothers from this area are
confined in London Institutions, this department does not
know of the cases, and so 100 per cent visiting cannot be
obtained. Some of the London Institutions do notify
bookings, and obtain a report from the Health Visitors
and this arrangement is encouraged.
. The number of expectant mothers attending the
Centres expressed as a percentage of the births shows an
increase, and is partly due to the fact that not so many
women desiring institutional confinement have had to go
out of the Borough with the opening of the new Maternity
Home. This percentage should also show a further
increase with the operation of the new Midwives Act, and
the further encouragement', by midwives, of mothers to
receive ante-natal care under a doctor. The percentage in
this area will never reach 100 as many mothers being
confined in outside institutions receive ante-natal care
at that institution, and are not shown in our figures.
The reorganisation of visiting, so that visits to
children aged 1-5 are now not less frequent than six
monthly, first becomes evident in the figure for 1936 and
is continued. There is also a better attendance of these
children at the clinics, but as more frequent sessions are
now held, and by more encouragement this figure should
show a further increase in future years.
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