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be required. At its meeting in October the Borough Council resolved
that the County Council should be informed that they approved in
principle of the scheme for an emergency obstetrical service, but
desired to have an opportunity of considering the matter further when
details upon the points referred to were available.
Invalid Children's Aid Association.
The Hampstead Branch of this Association meets at 51, Howitt
Road and valuable help is given to boys up to 14 years of age and
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, whose 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 14 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.
Under the Borough Council's Scheme as amended in October,
1936, a Home Help may 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, a Home Help may be
engaged by a patient during the last three months of pregnancy, or in
cases where expectant or nursing mothers are admitted to Hospital.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Committee agreed to vary the
scale of charges in 1937 with a view to making this valuable service
more available to the poorer members of the public. The scale is now
as follows :-
(a) Where income of applicant is in the "Free Milk" Scale; no
charge to be made instead of previous charge of 1/- per day.