View report page

MATERNITY & CHILD WELFARE.
As stated elsewhere in this Report, under the provisions of
Part III of the National Health Service Act, 1946, the control of
the services under the heading of Maternity and Child Welfare
passed to the London County Council on 5th July, 1948. Details
of the activities carried out between 1st January and 4th July,
1948, are set out below.
Infant Welfare Centres.—The work at the Centres was
conducted on similar lines as in previous years. Although the
following figures refer to a six monthly period only, pro rata they
are slightly higher than those for 1947. It is interesting to note
that in 1938, when the estimated population was 95,770, the total
attendances of babies was 18,558, whilst in the first half of 1948 the
figure was 12,164 with a population of approximately 84,410.
This increase, partly due to the higher birth rate, serves to emphasize
the growing popularity and importance of the Welfare Centre in
the life of the present-day mother.