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

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Battersea 1931

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

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21
Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme of the Council
includes Municipal and Voluntary effort and the activities of both
are fully co-ordinated.
Maternity and Child Welfare Centres.
For administrative purposes, the Borough is divided into
districts, for each of which a Health Visitor is made responsible.
There are nine Maternity and Child Welfare Centres (Municipal,
6 ; Voluntary, 3).
The situation and times of opening of the Centres, municipal
and voluntary, are set out in the table on page 22.
Other ancillary services included in the Scheme are :—
(1) St. Mary's Hostel, Macaulay Road, Clapham Common (vide
page 26).
(2) St. Margaret's Day Nursery and Resident Hostel, Cambridge
Road (vide page 25).
It has been the practice for many years past in addition to
the grant received by the Voluntary Bodies from the Ministry of
Health, to subsidise them in order to keep their work efficient and
in uniformity with that of the Municipal Maternity Centres and
Clinics.
Upon the passing into law of the Local Government Act, 1929,
a letter was received from the Ministry of Health enclosing a
copy of a financial scheme under which new financial arrangements
were authorised. Under this scheme the Council are required, for
a period of three years, from the 1st April, 1930, to make annual
payments to the Voluntary Bodies linked up with the Council's
Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme as follows :—
The Battersea School for Mothers £513
The Women's League of Service for Motherhood £546
The Chislehurst Mission £28
The St Margaret's Day Nursery and Guest House £555
These amounts are equivalent to the grants hitherto paid by
the Council, and those paid by the Ministry direct to the Associations.
The Council also made additional contributions in 1931 in
connection with their Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme as
under:—
Invalid Children's Aid Association £40
St. Thomas's Cornwall Babies' Hostel £100
Victoria Hospital for Children £100