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The Baby Clinic, No. 92, Tavistock Road.
For some years past, the baby clinic has been acting both as a treatment centre and as an infant
welfare centre, but it was not a welfare centre in the same sense as the other institutions for there was
little home visiting. Collective instruction, however, was given by the council's health lecturer.
During 1935, less infant welfare work was conducted, and early in 1936 the voluntary committee
agreed to cease doing infant welfare work altogether and act purely as a treatment centre to which
sick children attending other maternity and child welfare institutions could be sent.
The following are the records for 1935 :—
Number of sessions at which doctors attended for infant consultations 148
Number of sessions at which doctors attended for special ante-natal and
post-natal consultations 49
Total number of individual mothers who attended 261
Total number of individual children who attended (old) 269
(new) 498
Total attendances of mothers for all purposes (excluding the accompanying
of children) 1,099
Total attendances of children for all purposes 0-1 years 2,725
1.5 years 8 979
Number seen by doctor at consultations :—
1. Ante-natal mothers 128
2. Post-natal mothers 46
3. Other mothers 87
4. Children 4,570
Average number seen by doctor at consultations :—
1. Mothers 23
2. Children 31
Number of individual children weighed 767
Total weighings 11,704
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.
The Baby In-Patient Hospital, No. 1, Ladbroke Square.
This institution acts as the in-patient department of the baby clinic. The wards are capable
of accommodating 34 beds. Four beds are reserved for children recommended by the Kensington
infant welfare centres, but all the beds except two, which are occupied by Paddington patients, are
available for children belonging to the borough.
The following is the record for 1935 :—
Number of infants in residence at commencement of the year 21
Number of admissions 225
Number of discharges 210
Number of deaths 13
Number in residence at end of the year 23
Average duration of stay in hospital 35 days.
Artificial Sunlight Treatment.
Artificial sunlight treatment is administered at the baby clinic and hospital. During the
year 3,835 treatments were given and the average weekly attendance was 73 ; 245 children were
treated.
Orthopaedic Treatment.
In the course of the routine medical examinations at the infant welfare centres, particular
attention has been paid recently to posture and the presence of orthopaedic deformities.