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Mothers attend at child health centres with infants from the age of two weeks for the purpose of getting
advice from health visitors and clinic doctors about mothercraft and care of their children, and for routine
developmental examinations by the clinic medical officers. Mothers may attend as often as they wish but are
invited to attend for routine developmental examinations at six monthly intervals until their children are two
years of age. Thereafter, they should attend at least once yearly for medical examination. As required, children
are referred for further developmental examinations to the Borough^ Developmental Clinics held at selected
child health centres where they are seen by specialists in developmental paediatrics, who refer then to
assessment centres, if necessary, or continue to keep them under supervision.
Other services available for children at the centres include routine prophylaxis against diphtheria,
whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles, as well as creche facilities (at two centres).
For mothers, ante-natal, and post-natal, and cervical cytology and family planning clinics, and health
education are provided.
Mothers and families know the health centres as a focal point where they can contact the health visitor and
visit at intervals for consultation with the clinic medical officers.
Clinic medical officers are primarily concerned with developmental paediatrics and a section on the
handicapped and observation register can be found elsewhere in this report. Medical officers and health
visitors are assisted in their tasks by clinic nurses.
There are eight Maternity and Child Health Centres in the Borough, together with a purpose-built Health
Centre as shown below:
Becklow Gardens,
Becklow Road, W12.
Burne Jones,
North End Road, W14.
Glenthorne Road,
48 Glenthorne Road, W6.
Greyhound Road,
90-92 Greyhound Road, W6.
Milson Road,
1-3 Milson Road, W14.
Parsons Green,
5/7 Parsons Green, SW6.
Wandsworth Bridge Road,
170 Wandsworth Bridge Road, SW6.
Westway,
The Curve, W12.
The Grove Health Centre,
95 Goldhawk Road, W12.
These centres provide between them the following services:
Ante-natal
Cytology
Creches
Dental Care for expectant and nursing
mothers and children under 5
Family Planning
Child Health
Mothers' Groups
Mothercraft
Parentcraft
Post-natal Relaxation
Vaccination and Immunisation for children under 5
In 1972 attendances at the Child Health Centres (including attendance at the Grove Health Centre) of
children up to 5 years of age totalled 31,098 (43,328).
Priority Dental Treatment
Dental treatment is provided for expectant and nursing mothers and children under five years; the
attendances being 22 and 553 respectively. The service is provided in conjunction with that for school children,
combined use being made of the staff and premises.
Screening for Phenylketonuria
All new-born babies have a screening test at the age of six days, using the Guthrie method, for the detection
of phenylketonuria. This is normally carried out in hospital on babies born in hospital and by domiciliary
midwives on children born at home and on those babies discharged from hospital before six days. This test is
used to detect the presence of phenylketones in the blood which result from a metabolic disorder which if left
untreated may lead to mental subnormality. Positive cases can be referred to hospital for treatment and
development is then normal.
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