View report page

The Infant Mortality Rate is the lowest ever recorded in the
brough, and it compares favourably with that for England and
Wales (46) an d the County of London (53). It is interesting to
note that at the beginning of the century the corresponding rate
for the borough was 160.
Maternal Mortality.—2 maternal deaths, giving a maternal
mortality rate of 1.23 per 1,000 births, live and still.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
The activities of the Council under this heading were continued
during 1945 with only a few variations noted below.
Grants.—No variation was made in the grants paid by the
Coumcil to various bodies carrying on work ancillary to the scheme
for Maternity and child welfare.
Visiting.—The Health Visitors paid 8,658 home visits to children
under one; 6,113 to children between 1 and 5; and 4,244 prenatal
visits. The total number of home visits for all purposes during
the year paid by Health Visitors was 24,285.
Infant Welfare Centres.—649 sessions, 21,570 attendances.
Ante-Natal Clinics. —231 sessions, 3,188 attendances.
Post=Natal Clinics.—25 sessions, 226 attendances.
Mothercraft Classes. —234 meetings, 3,121 attendances.
Dental Clinic.—Following the destruction of the Dental Clinic
by enemy action, arrangements were made with the London County
Council for dental treatment to be carried out at St. James's Hospital
200 mothers service commencing in March, 1941. During the year
th ese and 40 children were referred to the Clinic, and of
these 63 mothers and 17 children had attended.
Hospitals.—544 Cases were referred to hospitals, etc., from the
Welfare Centres.
N a ti onal Dried Milk and Vitamins. —Throughout the year,
national dried milk and fruit juice and cod liver oil, supplied by the
Ministry of Food, have been distributed to children and expectant
mothers trough the Public Health Department and the Welfare
and Ante-natal Clinics. The totals issued through these sources
during the y ear were: National Dried Milk, 6,621 packets; Fruit
Juice, 33.655 bottles; Cod Liver Oil, 3,664 bottles, and 1,800
packets of capsules.
Priority Dockets for Sheets.—The arrangements made for the
issue of priority dockets to enable mothers who were being confined
at home to P urc hase utility sheets were continued during the year.
The maximum allowed to any one mother was three. 794 dockets
were issued to 291 mothers during 1945.
Dinners.- Women an d children were still sent for dinners to
the dinning rooms of the Women's League of Service at Southlands.
The Invalid Kitchens Association also supplied meals during the