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57
The experiences of the doctors at the Consultations
held at the Fulham School for Mothers has
been that many children are brought to them who
aiie in the early stages of acute illnesses, such as
Diarrhoea, Pneumonia, etc., and require in addition
to active medical treatment the most skilled nursing.
This they cannot get in their own homes, and
it is often impossible to secure their prompt admission
to hospitals, and the result is they die, but if
they could receive skilled attention and nursing
many of them would undoubtedly be saved.
It is proposed to receive the following cases:
(1) Cases Received for the Day.—
Wasting and ailing babies requiring special care
and feeding such as cannot be carried out at their
own homes owing to the mother's incompetence,
obligatory absence at work or any other cause, but
who are not suffering from acute illness.
(2) Resident Cases.—Babies suffering from
an acute illness (other than surgical) who require
prompt medical treatment and skilled nursing and
whose immediate admission to hospital cannot be
secured. Such case to be admitted immediately if
there is a vacancy without preliminary formalities.
Every effort will be made to secure that only cases
to which the mother is absolutely unable to give
proper care and attention are admitted, either as
daily or resident cases, and no case will be admitted
except on the recommendation of a doctor.
It will be gathered from the above resume of child
welfare work in Fulham that a beginning, at any
rate, has been made in the majority of the elements
specified in the Model Scheme of the Local Government
Board, though, of course, in some instances
only a beginning, and it is necessary to endeavour as
far as possible to co-ordinate the work, so as to prevent
overlapping, and also to ascertain in what directions
and by what methods it can be extended. For