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ventilated. There is a fully-equipped labour-room on each
floor, and a night nursery for the babies. There is also a
receiving room and an isolation-room for suspected cases of
infection at the top of the building. Two fine, adapted basement
rooms of this building are used as an out-patient
department for the Central Ante-Natal and Special clinics,
and are approached directly from the grounds, and separately
from the rest of the buildings. The entire hospital has been
excellently adapted and equipped for the reception of in- and
out-patients.
There is a rota of local practitioners, who are available for
attendance if called upon by the matron in cases requiring
medical aid. The services of Dr. J. S. Fairbairn, obstetric
physician, St. Thomas's Hospital (or his deputy, Dr.
Richardson), are also available in cases of grave emergency at
the request of the medical practitioners on the rota list.
The staff of the hospital consists of a matron,
1 sister and 3 staff nurses, and, in addition, there are
pupil-midwives, the hospital having been given partial recognition
by the Central Midwives' Board, pending the development
of the district midwifery service, for the training of
2 pupil midwives.*
During the year 1921, from the middle of February to the
end of December, 200 patients were admitted to the lying-in
wards, particulars in relation to whom are summarised in the
following return required by the Ministry of Health:—
Total number of cases admitted 200
Average duration of stay 14 days
Number of cases delivered by—
(a) Midwives (Nursing Staff) 179
(b) Doctors (on Rota) 21
Number of cases in which medical aid was sought
by the midwife, with reasons for requiring
assistance—
(a) Ante-natal —
(b) During labour 24
(c) After labour 20
(d) For infant 6
Number of cases notified as puerperal sepsis, with
result of treatment in each case 1
White leg; transferred to Fever Hospital on the 10th day,
died in hospital one week later; pulmonary embolism.
*All restrictions have now been removed, and the home is now a fully
recognised training school for midwives.