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The gross cost of the scheme to the council during 1936 was £1,198 16s. Od.
The assessments made in respect of patients whose applications were accepted and not
withdrawn during the year amounted to £613 13s. Od. Payments made by patients totalled
£587 4s. 6d.
London County Council Hospitals.
Hammersmith L.C.C. Hospital commenced to admit cases from North Kensington into their
maternity wards during 1936, and a large number of Kensington women have made use of these
facilities ; the co-operation between the borough clinics and the ante-natal department of the
hospital has been most satisfactory.
St. Mary Abbots L.C.C. Hospital now principally serves South Kensington since the mothers
living in the northern part of the borough go to Hammersmith Hospital. A large number of
Kensington women have been confined in the hospital during the year. Co-operation with this
hospital is also good.
Voluntary Hospitals.
The Princess Beatrice Hospital, situated within the borough, admits many Kensington women
to its maternity ward, and other patients have entered Queen Charlotte's Hospital, St. Mary's
Hospital, St. George's Hospital, and other maternity hospitals.
All the hospitals serving the borough send lists of the Kensington women booking for their
maternity wards to the medical officer of health in order that their patients may receive the benefit
of the home visiting carried out by the council's health visiting staff.
Domiciliary Midwifery.
Privale Doctors and Midwives.
For patients in comfortable circumstances the borough is fortunate in its doctors and midwives :
skilful obstetric care is given by the Kensington practitioners to patients referred to them from the
clinics and the domiciliary morbidity rate is very low. In North Kensington, the establishment of
a panel of private midwives who are paid a small subsidy by the council has proved a sound measure,
which has facilitated the co-operation between the private midwife and the ante-natal medical
officer. In addition to this subsidy, compensation is paid by the council to any midwife booked to
attend a Kensington woman if the latter is referred to hospital by the ante-natal medical officer, so
that the fear of a loss of her fee does not prevent a midwife from sending a Kensington patient for
advice.
Municipal Midwife.
In the area of South Kensington which is not supplied by any hospital district, the council
employ a whole-time midwife whose services are also available as a maternity nurse in any part
of the borough for patients unable to pay a nurse's fee in addition to the fee of the doctor. These
facilities ought entirely to eliminate the dangerous untrained handywoman. Before the council
appointed a midwife there were no facilities in South Kensington for a woman in poor financial
circumstances who wished to have her confinement at home. Now every patient has a free choice
between home and hospital and the services of a trained midwife are available for every woman
in Kensington.
In 1936, which was the first year of the midwife's appointment, she attended 18 cases, in eight of
which the fee was entirely remitted by the council. She paid 247 ante-natal and post-natal visits
to these patients.
In the intervals between her cases the midwife, who is a qualified health visitor, assists with the
home visiting of mothers and children attending the South Kensington centre.
Hospital Districts.
Kensington is especially fortunate in that its northern area is the maternity district of Queen
Charlotte's Hospital, whose district midwives attended 420 Kensington women in their homes
during 1936 ; there was an exceedingly low morbidity rate due to the high standard of work of this
hospital.
St. Mary's Hospital undertakes a small number of cases in North Kensington in connection with
the teaching of medical students, the maternity nursing of these patients being carried out by the
Kensington District Nursing Association.