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73
SUPERVISION OF MIDWIVES.
Unfortunately under the Miidwives Act, 19,18, Section 12,
permission is withheld for the delegation to a District Council
of the powers of the Essex County Council as Supervising
Authority. There is no doubt that such work can be carried
out as efficiently and economically by the local Public Health
Department, and it is difficult to understand the reason
for this Section of the Act. During 1920 local midwives were
reported to the County Medical Officer of Health on three occasions
for some infringements of the regulations of the C.M.B.
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES.
During the year larger premises have been obtained for the
Infant Welfare Centres at Albert Road and Newbury Park, and in
October, owing to the increasing numbers attending Seven Kings
Centre, this was sub-divided and a new centre opened at Goodmayes.
There are therefore now six Infant Welfare Centres:—
Seven Kings (Library Hall).
Groodmayes (All Saints' Church Hall).
Albeit Road (Presbyterian Church Hall).
Ilford Lane (Emmanuel Church).
Park and Cranbrook (Cecil Hall).
Newibury Park (Birkbeck Road Congregational Church).
During the year the following attendances were made
Figures for
1919.
Total number of attendances of infants 12,311 5,643
First attendances 876 629
Total number of children on roll December
31st, 1920, after omission of all those
who had not attended for six months 925 652
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apl. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
First Attendances 82 78 81 52 85 96 63 56 96 85 56 46
Subsequent „ 861 778 1049 777 902 1299 915 885 1175 1040 1015 739
This represents a very large increase over the work in 1919,
and, indeed, the success of the Centres in Ilford has become
embarrassing.