London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1936

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

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33
Post-Natal Examination.
It is satisfactory to report a very large increase in the number of post-natal clinics instituted
during 1936. In addition to the council's post-natal clinic, there are now weekly post-natal clinics
at the borough maternity home, at all the maternity hospitals and London county council hospitals
serving the borough, and at the Queen Charlotte's Hospital district clinic at No. 240, Ladbroke Grove.
The importance of a careful routine post-natal examination in diminishing maternal invalidism
is now fully recognised and every woman is taught its necessity. At the council's clinic at No. 28b,
Archer Street, 49 sessions were held during 1936, at which 280 individual mothers attended, with a
total of 300 attendances and an average of 6-1 at each clinic. This number is not large, but it
represents these cases which do not come under the care of a private doctor or a hospital, and ensures
that post-natal facilities are available for every woman in Kensington.
The Baby Clinic, No. 92, Tavistock Road.
This institution serves as a treatment centre for all the infant welfare centres in the borough.
Mothers and children are referred there from the centres for treatment. Dental work, minor
operations, massage, sunlight treatment, etc., are also carried out. Children attend daily for
dressings. The medical officers in charge of the baby hospital conduct the sessions at the baby
clinic, which renders it easy for any case needing in-patient treatment to obtain it.
Under an agreement with the London county council, the treatment of minor defects of schoolchildren
is carried out on the premises by the medical staff in charge of pre-school children. Thus,
continuous medical treatment by the same staff and in the same premises of children from infancy
up to school-leaving age is obtained.

On the 1st April, 1937, the borough council, at the request of the voluntary committee, assumed financial control of this institution.

The following are the records for 1936:—
Sessions at which doctors attended for infant consultations151
Sessions at which doctors attended for mothers'consultations50
Individual mothers who attended191
Individual children who attended (old)248
Individual children who attended (new)579
Attendances of mothers for all purposes (excluding the accompanying of children)989
Attendances of children for all purposesf 0-1 year1,127
1 1-5 years9,610
Seen by doctor at consultations :—
Mothers958
Children4,032
Average number seen by doctor at consultations :—
Mothers19
Children27
Individual children weighed827
Weighings10,737

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 30 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 three medical officers of the council who conduct the infant consultation sessions at the
infant welfare centres meet the medical staff of the baby hospital in consultation each week and
discuss the treatment and after-care of the Kensington infants in the hospital. The value of this
excellent co-operation between those responsible for the preventive treatment and those in charge
of the curative treatment of these children is very great.

The following is the record for 1936 :—

Infants in residence at commencement of the year23
Admissions235
Discharges231
Deaths5
Infants in residence at end of the year22
Average duration of stay in hospital36 days.