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103
Midwifery
Throughout the year the useful liaison continued between the
Borough and the local hospitals with regular monthly meetings
at the British Hospital where the work and individual cases were
discussed by doctors and all categories of nursing staff. Clinic
services were maintained for General Practitioner Obstetricians to
examine their domiciliary cases with midwives in attendance.
Appointment systems were in operation and every mother had a
full physical examination and blood investigation, blood specimens
being examined at the Devonport Laboratory at Dreadnought
Seamen's Hospital. As in previous years, the response to the invitation
to post-natal examinations remained very disappointing and
the current year's total of 495 attendances showed a fall of some
15% from the previous year's total of 584.
Practising Midwives
In accordance with the Midwives Act, 1951, notifications of
intention to practise as midwives in the London Borough of Greenwich
during 1968 were received from 142 persons. Of these, 124
were in respect of hospital midwives and the remainder, i.e. 18,
were from those engaged in the Council's service and included the
supervisory staff.
Domiciliary Services
The Borough is divided into 9 midwifery areas, each with a fulltime
midwife, a further 2 areas having a combined midwife/district
nurse. There is, in addition, one relief midwife/district nurse.
During 1968 there were 610 home confinements. In addition
there were 58 mothers booked for home confinement, but transferred
to hospital due to complications, and 420 patients were
discharged from hospital after 48 hours or more. The decrease in
home confinements was slightly less than in previous years but
there is an increase in patients taking advantage of the "early
discharge" scheme (377 during 1967). Owing to the closure of the
British Hospital for a short period, due to infection in late December,
several hospital patients were delivered at home, the midwifery
staff coping very well with this extra work. One innovation
during the year was the issue to midwives of a pack containing a
tin-foil wrapping for the prevention of hypothermia and the transportation
of premature and hypothermic babies to hospital.
Domiciliary confinements during the year declined by 72 to a
total of 610 but there was a partially compensating rise of 43
mothers discharged home early after hospital confinement.