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Consultant Service. A specialist's opinion may be had in
cases of obstructed labour, emergencies in pregnancy, or
puerperal pyrexia.
Home Helps. The revised Home Help scheme operating
during the year 1944 has provided domestic assistance for
28 households as compared with 8 only during the previous
year.
The main features of the new scheme are, the increase
in the rate of pay from an all-in payment of 30/- per week to
an hourly rate of l/6d.; the arrangements supervised by a
Home Help Organiser, and a reduction in the hours worked to
those necessary only to carry out the essential domestic work
of the house—generally from four to six per day—thus
enabling a greater number of married women to take up this
work.
Enemy attack, evacuation and competition from superior
priorities in the labour field have made the year a difficult one
both in actual operation and in valuation of experience upon
which to base future developments.
Sterilised Maternity Outfits.
Sterile outfits in sealed containers for use at confinements
may be had from the Welfare Centres or from the Council's
midwife. They are supplied at cost price, and in necessitous
cases at half price or free of cost according to means. During
the year 33 outfits Avere supplied at cost price.
Dental Scheme.
The demand for dental treatment under the Maternity
and Child Welfare arrangements, as was to be expected, has
shown a slight reduction for the year 1944. Evacuation of
potential patients would account mainly for this, but it is
probable that during the months of June to October, people
who remained were largely preoccupied with more sensational
events which tended to discourage attendance for dental
treatment.
Reference to Table XI on page 32 will show that 232
patients made 702 attendances, and 96 expectant mothers were
referred to the dental surgeon during the year.
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