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84
Informed opinion considers that 10% of all conceptions end in
abortion, although there are no reliable statistics to support this
contention. Estimated discharges from N.H.S. hospitals after
abortions in England and Wales have risen from 74,580 in 1961 to
77,570 in 1966, both figures include septic and therapeutic
abortions. As those abortions which are treated at home, in nursing
homes and in non-N.H.S. hospitals are unknown, what cumulative
effect this Act will have is difficult to assess.
There are hopes that with the full implementation of the Family
Planning Act and improved methods of contraception, the number
of women receiving treatment resulting from criminal abortion
will decrease.
General
During the past year the maternity and child welfare work has
been carried on satisfactorily. Clinic attendance figures have been
maintained and in some instances increased, in spite of continued
staff shortages.
Mothercraft and parentcraft sessions have continued throughout
the year and have been very well attended; talks have been given to
outside groups and clubs run by voluntary organisations, and the
parentcraft teaching in schools throughout the Borough has
continued.
Psychoprophylaxis classes have increased in number by two
sessions and the number of expectant mothers joining the classes
has also increased.
A weekly creche session has started at Market Street Health
Centre and is proving very successful. It is hoped that another
session will be available shortly.
During the year the first Health Visitor and District Nurse attachment
Scheme to be started in the Borough got under way. A Health
Visitor and District Nurse are attached to a group practice of three
general practitioners, visiting their patients and in the case of the
district nurse, nursing them in their homes. The health visitor
works from the surgery, having her office and keeping all her
records there. She attends at Infant Welfare Clinics run by the
doctors and at their Ante-Natal Clinics. The district nurse is in
frequent consultation with the doctors, does some treatment at the
surgery and visits all their patients requiring home nursing. It is
still too early to say exactly how successful this pilot scheme is, but
it does appear to be working very satisfactorily.
Several general practitioners and groups of doctors have made
enquiries concerning the possibilities of a district nurse working in
close liaison with them. In two instances this has been arranged,