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 1931

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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30
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The borough council's scheme of maternity and child welfare work in operation in 1930 has
been continued during 1931, and the following additions to the service have been made during the
year
(a) An obstetric specialist has been appointed as a part-time officer, and his services
are available to any doctor in the borough who needs assistance in attending to a necessitous
woman in a difficult or complicated confinement.
(b) Sterilised maternity outfits are now stocked at the infant welfare centres and can
be obtained by any expectant woman at cost price.
(c) In the case of women who are unable to afford birth control advice, the Council
decided during the year that they would pay to the North Kensington Women's Welfare (Birth
Control) Centre five shillings in respect of each married woman referred thereto by a Kensington
infant welfare centre, on receipt of a medical certificate, signed by one of the medical officers
at the infant welfare centre, stating that the woman is a nursing mother and that further
pregnancy would be detrimental to health. The certificate must state the exact medical
or surgical condition which renders further pregnancy harmful, and must also be endorsed
by the medical officer at the birth control centre.

Table: WOMEN HEALTH OFFICERS.Seven women health officers are attached to the infant welfare centres serving the borough, and the work performed by these officers during the year 1931 in regard to maternity and child welfare is summarised in the following table:—

WOMEN HEALTH OFFICERS.

Seven women health officers are attached to the infant welfare centres serving the borough, and the work performed by these officers during the year 1931 in regard to maternity and child welfare is summarised in the following table:—

Description of work.Health officers.
No. 1.No. 2.No. 3.No. 4.No. 5.No. 6.No. 7.Total.
First visits to infants (0-1 year)350235246339340942101,814
Re-visits to infants (0-1 year)7634905226861,1254226164,624
Visits to children between 1 and 5 years1,5831,5591,4699137758398297,967
Still-birth enquiries889410—948
Visits to ophthalmia cases616143111354
Return visits to ophthalmia cases12133435211116
Visits to measles cases81420473153137
Visits to whooping cough cases21293311382947298
Visits to puerperal fever cases——142—29
Visits to puerperal pyrexia cases916713113362
Visits to enteritis cases2054956—287
Infantile death enquiries2923214238415172
Investigations re milk applications10338371872401679700
Ante-natal visits55557213111190190704
Half-days at welfare centres168140138136207961161,001
Special visits.1742033412232593972981,895

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The visiting in connection with tuberculosis and factories and workshops is dealt with in the
sections of tliis report dealing with those subjects, and a complete record of the work performed
by each woman health officer during the year appears in Table V of Appendix II.
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES.
There are eight voluntary infant welfare centres in Kensington and one branch centre. The
borough has been mapped out into a similar number of areas with one centre in each, an attempt
having been made to place each home in the area of that centre which is most accessible to the
mother.
The branch centre was established by the committee of the Raymede infant welfare centre
in March, 1931, and serves an area in the extreme north-eastern part of the borough. A large
amount of new property has been erected in this district, including the Sutton Trust buildings.
The Sutton Trustees built the branch centre premises and let them to the voluntary committee
at a nominal rent of £5 per annum.