London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wimbledon 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The total number of visits paid by the health visitors during
1947 amounted to 12,767, the figure for the previous year being 11,608.
Details of the home visits carried out are given below:—
| Number of Infants visited — first visits | 1,304 | |
| Number of Infants visited — revisits | 2,791 | |
| Number of Toddlers visited | 4,575 | |
| Ante-natal — first visits | 453 | |
| Ante-natal — revisits | 124 | |
| Visits re Infant deaths | 6 | |
| „ Stillbirths | 18 | |
| „ Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 4 | |
| „ Non-notifiable and notifiable Infectious Diseases | 154 | |
| „ Foster Children | 323 | |
| Miscellaneous | 157 | |
| Total Welfare visits | 9,909 | |
| Visits — School Health Service | 682 | |
| Tuberculosis — Home visits | 87 | |
| Visits to Nursing Homes | 29 | |
| Other visits | 115 | |
| Ineffectual visits | 1,945 | |
| Total visits | 2,858 | |
| 12,767 | ||
The following table gives the attendance of health visitors at schools, special clinics and maternity and child welfare centres during the year:—
| Half sessions at schools | 327 |
| „ special clinics | 795 |
| „ M. & C. W. centres | 844 |
| 1,966 |
Owing to the increasing amount of work in connection with the
Maternity and Child Welfare and School Health Services, an additional
health visitor/school nurse was appointed at the beginning of
the year.
This makes a total of seven health visitors. They devote 50% of
their time to each of these services.
Infant Welfare Centres and Ante-natal Clinics.
At the beginning of the year there were three ante-natal clinics
and four infant welfare centres.
Owing to the increasingly large number of mothers attending the
Kings Road Ante-Natal Clinic which had been held fortnightly since
its opening in September, 1946, weekly sessions at this centre were
commenced on the 6th March, 1947, and held throughout the year.
To relieve the pressure at the existing welfare centres, and to
provide better facilities for mothers living in the area of Wimbledon
High Street, an additional infant welfare centre was opened on the
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