London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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40
THE BABY CLINIC, No. 92, TAVISTOCK ROAD.
The Baby Clinic acts both as a treatment centre and infant welfare centre, but it is not an
infant welfare centre in the same sense as the other eight; nevertheless, much valuable work is
performed.
The following are the records for the year ending December 31st, 1930:—
| Number of sessions at which doctors attended for infant consultations | 151 |
| Number of sessions at which doctors attended for special ante-natal and post-natal consultations | 50 |
| Total number of individual mothers who attended during year | 223 |
| Total number of individual children who attended during year (Old) | 696 |
| „ „ „ (New) | 594 |
| Total attendances at centre of mothers for all purposes (excluding the accompanying of children) | 813 |
| Total attendances of children at centre for all purposes | 15,898 |
| Number seen by doctor at consultations:— | |
| 1. Ante-natal mothers | 250 |
| 2. Post-natal mothers | 450 |
| 3. Children | 5,889 |
| Average number seen by doctor at consultations :— | |
| 1. Ante-natal mothers | 5 |
| 2. Post-natal mothers | 9 |
| 3. Children | 39 |
| Number of individual children weighed | 1,290 |
| Total weighings | 5,889 |
Collective instruction by lectures is undertaken at Tavistock Road by the Council's
health lecturer, but there is little home visiting.
Under an arrangement with the County Council, certain minor defects and ailments discovered
in children at the school medical examinations are treated at this Clinic and much useful work in
this direction is being: carried out
BABY IN-PATIENT HOSPITAL.
This institution commenced its activities in 1919 at No. 127. Ladbroke Road. These premises
rapidly proved inadequate in size, and in October, 1929, the hospital was transferred to larger and
more suitable premises at No. 1, Ladbroke Square, which had recently been purchased at a cost of
£9,000. The new building is particularly suitable for a hospital, as it was previously a nursing home.
It is a large, non-basement, corner house, and is detached on three sides; it provides an isolation
ward, good staff rooms, a kitchen on each floor, an operating theatre, and sunny wards which are
capable of accommodating 34 beds.
Records for the year 1930 :—
| Number of infants in residence at commencement of the year | 18 |
| Number of admissions during the year | 215 |
| Number of discharges during the year | 183 |
| Number of deaths during the year | 21 |
| Number in residence at end of the year | 29 |
| Average duration of stay in hospital | 72 days. |
Prior to 1930 the Council had made an annual grant of £200 to the committee of the hospital
towards the maintenance of two beds therein, to be placed at the disposal of the infant welfare centres
serving the borough, the grant being subject to the following conditions:—That provision shall be
made for the doctors in attendance at the centres to continue in the Hopsital, if they so desire,
the supervision of the cases recommended by them, and that the Medical Officer of Health shall continue
a representative of the Council on the Committee of Management, and shall be furnished with
the names and addresses of patients admitted from within the borough, together with the dates of
their admission and discharge. Although two beds were reserved in the old hospital for children
recommended from the various Kensington welfare centres, all the beds were available for children
belonging to the borough.
Following the transfer to the new premises the voluntary committee approached the Council
for further financial assistance and, in the early part of 1930, it was decided to increase the annual
grant to £400 on the condition that four beds will be placed at the disposal of the infant welfare
centres.