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64
Health, came into operation on 1st January, 1938. The material provision
of the Section applied to London is as follows:—
"It shall be the duty of every local supervising authority within
the meaning of the principal Act (in this Act referred to as an
"authority," and in London it is the County Council) to secure, whether
by making arrangements with welfare councils or voluntary organisations
for the employment by those councils or organisations of certified
midwives as whole-time servants or by itself employing such midwives,
that the number of certified midwives so employed who are available
in its area for attendance on women in their own homes as midwives,
or as maternity nurses during childbirth and from time to time thereafter
during a period not less than the lying-in period, is adequate
for the needs of the area.
In this sub-section the expression 'lying-in period' means the
period defined as the lying-in period by any rule for the time being
in force under section three of the principal Act."
(Note.—Under recent rules of the Central Midwives Board the
definition of the normal lying-in period has been extended from 10 to
14 days.)
For administrative purposes Hampstead is grouped with Chelsea,
Fulham, Hammersmith, Kensington, Paddington, St. Marylebone and
Westminster. In this Area there are 11 London County Council
Midwives and various hospitals and nursing associations which,
by arrangement with the County Council, are employing midwives to
undertake the work. These municipal midwives, and those employed
by certain of the other bodies referred to, can also be employed as
maternity nurses in those cases where a doctor has been engaged for
the confinement.

Patients who are unable to pay the full fee will be assessed according
to rules which have been approved by the Council.