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62
midwife to have a consultation about their patient on three occasions (at
specified intervals) during the pregnancy, the examinations taking place at
the patient's home, the doctor's surgery or at the Local Health Authority's
Clinic, as mutually agreed. In practice the joint consultation takes place
in the majority of cases in the doctor's surgery, but in a few cases it is
held in the patient's home.
Salvation Army Midwifery Service.—One Salvation Army Midwife
served in Ilford during the year. 73 cases were attended by her, all as a
midwife.
A Doctor was called in to 20 of the 73 cases in which the midwife had
been engaged.
Of the infants born there were no stillbirths.
Notifications were received from the Salvation Army Midwife that it
was proposed to substitute artificial feeding in respect of 6 infants.
Gas and Air Analgesia.—During 1953 gas and air analgesia was
administered in 473 cases, of which 403 were attended by the Domiciliary
Midwives (370 when acting as midwives and 33 when acting as maternity
nurses) and 70 were attended by the Salvation Army midwife.
All the domiciliary midwives employed at the end of the year were
qualified to administer gas and air analgesia and the one Salvation Army
midwife was also so qualified.
Four sets of apparatus for the purpose ot the administration of gas
and air analgesia are stored in the Ambulance Depot and the apparatus is
transported to the house of the patient on the request of the midwife. The
Salvation Army midwives also have two machines which are kept at their
Branch Home and taken or sent to the home of the patient when required.
The service is freely available to all having home confinements, provided
there are no medical contra-indications, and each expectant mother
on booking the midwife is supplied with a leaflet explaining the nature
and the availability of the service.

* Includes 150 running concurrently with Doctors' Clinics.
All patients booked for admission to the Maternity Hospital are
medically examined at the Ante-Natal Clinics. During 1953 the first
appointment, in accordance with previous practice, was normally made at
the 16th week of pregnancy, but following consultations with the Consultant
Obstetrician arrangements have been made, as from January, 1954, for the