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Amongst Hospitals, not within the Borough, to which Deptford
women are admitted for confinement are, St. Alfege Hospital, St. Olaves
Hospital, St. Thomas' Hospital, the General Lying-in Hospital, York
Road, Lambeth, Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital, and King's
College Hospital.
Children.
Since the opening of the Albany Deptford Babies' Hospital, the
Borough Council, by arrangement, sends debilitated infants requiring
dietetic treatment for in-patient treatment. In addition, mothers and
infants requiring supervision in connection with breast-feeding are
either admitted or treated as out-patients. (See " Maternity and Child
Welfare.")
General in-patient and out-patient treatment is provided at such
London hospitals as Vincent Square, Evelina and Great Ormond
Street, and locally, at St. Alfege, the Miller and St. John's Hospitals.
Midwifery and Maternity Services.
Midwives.—The Borough Council is not the supervising authority
under the Midwives Acts. From a return provided by the County
Council the number of midwives (including municipal midwives)
is estimated at twenty-two. Prior to the inception of the County
Council's domiciliary midwifery scheme, various conferences of borough
medical officers with the county medical officer were held, and, as a
result, agreement was reached upon many aspects of the proposed
service, which now functions smoothly in Deptford. The important
part of the midwifery service, namely, the provision of a mobile
emergency obstetrical unit, was under consideration at the end of the
year and came into operation upon the 20th February, 1939. It is
designed to deal with acute obstetrical emergencies in cases in which
patients cannot be moved into hospital without undue risk and whose
needs cannot be adequately dealt with by the obstetric consultant
service of the Borough.