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girls up to 16 by the way of convalescence in the country or at the
seaside; by the provision of surgical appliances, extra nourishment
(e.g., milk or cod liver oil and malt), etc. The Local Secretary is
Miss Harrison.
Home Helps.
A panel of Home Helps exists, and their services are available
for homes in connection with cases of child-birth occurring in the
Borough. They are paid at the rate of 5s. Od. per day when employed,
with no retaining fee. In normal cases they are on duty for 10 days;
hours 8 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily, subject to variation
in certain cases. Their duties consist of general home management,
including cooking, certain washing, the care of the children, etc. A
doctor or midwife is in attendance on the case and no nursing duties
of any description are undertaken by the Home Helps.
The Home Helps Scheme was adopted in March, 1934. On the
recommendation of the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee the
Council in February, 1936, extended the Scheme so as to enable a
Home Help to be engaged by a patient at any time up to three months
after the date of confinement, subject to a medical certificate that the
patient is in such a debilitated condition that the services of a Home
Help are necessary.
In addition, in October, 1936, it was agreed that the Scheme
should be further extended, so as to enable the Home Helps to be
engaged by a patient during the last three months of pregnancy, or in
cases where expectant or nursing mothers are admitted to Hospital,
and in December, 1936, in view of an alteration in the rules of the
Central Midwives Board, as from 1st January, 1937, requiring the
midwife to attend a patient for 14 days instead of 10 days, the Council,
upon the recommendation of the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee,
decided to extend their Scheme so as to allow the Home Helps
to remain in attendance for a normal period of 14 days.
At the present time there are 8 Home Helps on the panel.
Applicants are assessed to pay the whole or a portion of the cost of
the Home Helps, according to their means. During the year 15
mothers availed themselves of this facility, being assessed to contribute