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MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Under the borough council's scheme of maternity and child welfare work, complete arrangements
are made for the medical supervision of children under the age of five years, and for the
care and after-care of expectant and nursing mothers. The scheme includes infant welfare
centres, day nurseries, ante-natal clinics, a maternity home, hospital and convalescent treatment,
the supply of extra nourishment, home nursing, and various other services which can be of help
in the effort to reduce infant and maternal mortality.
During the year under review a special investigation was conducted by the council into the high
infant mortality rate of 98 which occurred in the year 1932. The report on this enquiry will be found
on page 10. As a result, the council came to the conclusion that the ante-natal service was in need
of re-organisation. There were ten different doctors engaged in ante-natal work in Kensington
infant welfare institutions ; these were in private practice and attended sessions at the infant
welfare institutions, averaging about one session per fortnight. They were not in the habit of meeting
together to discuss common problems, and it was difficult for the medical officer of health to confer
with them as occasion required. As most of their time was devoted to private work, they had
little opportunity of studying local administration, conditions, etc. Owing to these disadvantages
and administrative difficulties in securing a close contact between the clinics and the
maternity homes and hospitals, and in extending the usefulness of the work, the council decided to
appoint a full-time medical officer to conduct the whole of the ante-natal work in the Kensington
maternity and child welfare institutions. This officer will commence her duties in July next.
The question of providing gynaecological treatment for women also occupied the council's
attention during the year, and they approved of a scheme of co-operation between the gynaecological
clinic which had been established by the North Kensington Women's Welfare Centre at No. 12,
Telford Road, W. 10, and the infant welfare institutions of the borough. The gynaecological clinic
was opened in January, 1933, and a session is held weekly on Thursday afternoons. The council
have decided to make a grant of £20 to the institution in respect of Kensington women treated
thereat. The clinic has been very useful in obtaining suitable treatment for mothers, who willingly
avail themselves of this source of help, and the infant welfare institutions are co-operating with the
clinic.
The council's scheme for the provision of extra nourishment to necessitous mothers and infants
under five years of age was also reviewed during the year. It was felt that more dinners should be
provided for expectant and nursing mothers, and arrangements have since been made for six local
bodies who have established dinner centres in the borough to supply free dinners on behalf of the
borough council.
In addition, a scheme of co-operation between the borough council and the public assistance
department of the London county council was entered into whereby expectant and nursing mothers
in receipt of poor-law relief could be given extra nourishment by the borough council through the
maternity and child welfare institutions. It is provided (a) that the grants of milk in these
circumstances should be regarded as additional and not as part of the ordinary relief, and (b) that
there should be no material interval between the recommendation for a milk allowance and the
granting of the allowance. The scheme has been put into operation, but owing to the short time it
has been working it is not possible to make any comments on it.
The maternity and child welfare services provided by the council have operated satisfactorily
during the past year. The voluntary committees have worked in close co-operation with the
borough council and have conducted the various voluntary institutions with efficiency and zeal.
WOMEN HEALTH OFFICERS.

The visiting in connection with tuberculosis and factories and workshops is dealt with in the
sections of this 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.