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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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table showing the dental treatment performed at the centres in 1938.
| Centre. | Patients. | Attendances | Extrac-tions. | Fillings. | Dentures. | Other treatments. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bramley Road | 49 | 210 | 280 | 2 | 11 | 137 |
| Campden Hill | 6 | 12 | 21 | 4 | —— | 4 |
| Dalgarno | 53 | 185 | 61 | 8 | 12 | 104 |
| Golborne | 31 | 135 | 46 | 2 | 6 | 81 |
| Kenley Street | 71 | 297 | 501 | 10 | 14 | 191 |
| Lancaster Road | 196 | 528 | 186 | 10 | 44 | 181 |
| Raymede | 137 | 561 | 195 | 24 | 24 | 318 |
| South Kensington | 75 | 213 | 107 | 15 | 9 | 24 |
| Totals | 618 | 2,141 | 1,397 | 75 | 120 | 1,040 |
| [Note.—In addition, 137 pre-school children, who had been referred to the baby clinic from infant welfare centres for medical treatment, received dental treatment thereat. The mothers of 106 children referred to the baby clinic for medical treatment received dental treatment whilst attending with their infants ; dentures were provided in 30 cases.] | ||||||
| The council's scheme for the provision of dentures to necessitous expectant and nursing' mothers has proved of great value. | ||||||
Midwifery Arrangements.
Pre-Natal Services.
The pre-natal clinic forms the co-ordinating mechanism of the council's scheme and brings the
patient into touch with the services which would be of benefit to her. It is upon the clinic that the
important duty devolves of advising each woman whether institutional or domiciliary confinement
is preferable in her case, thus relieving unnecessary overcrowding of hospital wards whilst ensuring
admission for those who require it. Nine pre-natal sessions are held weekly, including an evening
clinic to provide supervision and help for those women who are obliged to work during the early
months of pregnancy. One thousand three hundred and fifty-five expectant mothers attended the
infant welfare centres during the year, with a total of 6,127 attendances ; at the evening clinic 48
sessions were held and 134 women attended, making 456 attendances, with an average of 9.5 at
each session. The total numbers attending the council's pre-natal clinics during the year 1938 are
therefore 1,489 individual mothers with 6,583 attendances; the corresponding numbers for 1937
were 1,411 and 6,209, and for 1936, 1,340 and 5,085. It is satisfactory to note the increasing use
which is made of the council's services.
In addition to the borough council's clinics, two pre-natal sessions are held weekly at the
Queen Charlotte's hospital district pre-natal clinic at No. 240, Ladbroke Grove. One hundred
and two sessions were held during 1938, at which 430 Kensington women attended. There are
also pre-natal departments attached to the London county council and other hospitals serving the
borough.
Full use is now being made of the pre-natal services provided by the council, and it is only in
rare instances that a Kensington woman does not obtain pre-natal care.
The excellent co-operation between the borough council's clinics and midwives or hospitals in
charge of the women's confinement continues, and is an essential factor in the success of the maternity
scheme.
Hospital Accommodation.
The hospital accommodation available for Kensington women has been sufficient for the needs
of the borough, and no difficulty has been experienced in obtaining admission to hospital for any
woman who required it.
Kensington Maternity Home.
The borough council's maternity home of ten beds is conducted by Queen Charlotte's hospital
at "Invermead," No. 341, Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush. It is a large house situated in pleasant
grounds, and in which the nervous young patient receives skilled obstetric care in the reassuring
surroundings of a private home. Women entering the home receive their pre-natal supervision
from the borough clinics, but are referred once to the home before confinement to be seen by one
of the honorary staff attached to Queen Charlotte's hospital. The same consultant is in charge
of the post-natal clinic attached to the home.