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62
Report on St. John and St. Mary's Voluntary Mothers' and
Babies' Care Centres, March 31st, 1916, to April 1st, 1917.
Begistratiion.-The register for the twelve months from March 31st,
1916, to April 1st, 1917, shows that 1135 new babies have been entered.
These were notified to the Centre by—
The Borough Council 878
York Road Hospital 178
1135
St. Thomas's Hospital 74
Others 5
The proportion of those living in St. John's Ward to those in St.
Mary's Ward is nearly equal. There have been 251 first babies; 136
families were known already with a previous child and two mothers have
bad the third child in the three years.
Records. Histories of each visit are kept either on the Borough
card or on more personal case papers, and all correspondence connected
with a case is copied and attached. These with a card-index and road
book make ready reference possible. Each card is in numerical order.
Visits.—The number of visits paid averages 150 per week by the paid
workers and 20 by the voluntary visitors. As only one lady can come to
assist now, the work is practically all done by the staff. Over 8000
visits have been recorded. Each home from which a birth is notified is
visited (with rave exceptions when a visit is clearly unnecessary) about
ten days after the mother's confinement and after the attendance of the
doctor or midwife has ceased. A baby is seen four times in the year
unless circumstances of illness, poverty, ignorance or prematurity make
constant watching necessary.
It was hoped to keep in touch with the children until they were of
school age, but whether this will continue to be possible seems doubtful
owing to the numbers and the constant removals.
The pre-natal cases number 252, sent in by the Hospital Almoners.
Others are found in the district, and the visitors advise in the same way
as in the hospilal cases about preparations, diet, clothing and health
matters.
They also report any sanitary defects in the houses.