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22
DISTRICT NURSING.
Deptford is fairly well provided with facilities for district nursing.
The following is a list of the chief nursing bodies:—
1. Ranyard Nurses, Central Office, Ranyard House, 25 Russell
Square. Eight of the Nurses live in different parts of the Borough.
2. Nurses of St. John the Divine in Watson Street. These
are connected with the Morden Hill Hospital, Blackheath.
3. Central Hall Nurses, High Street. Two in number.
4. Medical Mission Nurse.
5. St. John's Church Nurse.
Health Visitors and Female Sanitary Inspectors.
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS.
During the year 1913, 4707 visits were made to the homes of
babies, the total increase over 1912 being 1395 visits. This increase
was largely due to the fact that early notification as required by the Act
has been systematically carried out, and it may be said that the Notification
of Births Act is working efficiently in the Borough.
There were 3106 births registered during 1913.
,, 3131 ,, notified ,, „
These figures show that the compulsory notification under the Act
within 36 hours is much more valuable to us than the registration of
the birth which may not take place until six weeks after the birth.
Your Lady Health Visitors report that they have visited each home,
usually about the middle of the second week where the notification has
been made by the midwife or responsible person, and shortly after
the mother is up, where a medical practitioner has notified the birth,
should your Medical Officer of Health consider it a suitable case for
visitation. Your Medical Officer considers that if visited early the
mother is open to receive advice concerning her offspring, and will
frequently tell the Health Visitors of little difficulties she may have
with other children and seek that advice which it is in the province of
a Health Visitor to give.
The midwives receive the visits to their patients quite cordially,
and support our efforts in advising the mother in the care of herself
and her offspring.
Breast-feeding is generally attempted for the first two months,
after which time the milk disappears or becomes of very poor quality.
It is unfortunately a fact that the child has then frequently been fed
either upon boiled bread, cheap brands of condensed milk, or as an
alternative skimmed milk.