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38
HEALTH VISITING
The Council employs fourteen Health Visitors for maternity
and child welfare work, and each of these officers is allotted a district
for visiting purposes. A Midwifery Health Visitor was appointed
and commenced her duties on 1st April, 1932. The two voluntary
Infant Welfare Centres also employ Health Visitors, who carry
out the health visiting work in the areas served by those Centres.
Approximately two-thirds of the time of the Borough Council s
Health Visitors is spent in visiting the homes of expectant and
nursing mothers, and children under the age of five years, the
remainder of their time being devoted to attendance at Ante-Natal
and Infant Welfare Centres.
Visits are paid as required to all expectant mothers, of whom
knowledge is received either through midwives, Ante-Natal Clinics
or other means. The Health Visitors also visit the homes of all
infants notified under the Notification of Births Act, 1907. The
first visit is paid as soon as possible after the infant reaches the
age of fourteen days. Three further routine visits are paid during
the first year of life, and two visits are paid in each subsequent
year until the child reaches the age of five years. Additional visits
are paid as required to infants and children suffering from
ophthalmia neonatorum, measles, whooping cough, etc. It may
be said, therefore, that the Borough is adequately served as regards
health visiting.
A table showing the visits made by the Health Visitors and
the attendances of these officers at the Infant Walfare Centres and
other clinics during the year appears on pages 39 and 40.