View report page

75
St. Giles' Centre, Short's Gardens.
The attendances at this Branch Centre during the year 1932, were as
follows:—
Thursday—Medical Consultation—2—4.30 p.m.
No. of Sessions 2
Total attendances—Children 650
Mothers 43
Expectant Mothers 28
Average weekly attendances—Children 12
Mothers 2
The total number of attendances made by the Health Visitors at the Municipal
Centres in 1932 was 560, and in addition Health Visitor students made 178
attendances at the Municipal Centres.
At the Holborn Centre, No. 10, John Street, 5,080 attendances were made by
217 mothers and 73 expectant mothers, and 529 children, of whom 244 were under
one year, 108 between one and two years old, and 177 aged 2-5 years on the date
of their first attendance.
At the St. Giles' Centre, Short's Gardens, 721 attendances were made by 31
mothers and 86 children, of whom 43 were under one year, 14 from one to two
years and 29 between two and five years.
Ante-natal Hygiene.
Under the scheme for the voluntary notification of pregnancy which came into
force in January, 1928, 78 voluntary notifications were received during 1932 as
compared with 81 in 1931. All these expectant mothers, as well as those already
known to the Health Visitors through other sources, were visited in their homes
and informed, both verbally and by means of a leaflet, of the special facilities
available in Holborn; they also received instruction in the hygiene of pregnancy,
and if not already in attendance at an ante-natal centre they were advised to
attend.
Confinement in Institutions in Relation to Housing Conditions.
Expectant mothers whose home circumstances make confinement at home
especially undesirable are advised to enter hospital for confinement. In order to
provide accommodation for those who are willing to take this advice an arrangement
has been made with one of the principal Maternity Hospitals within reach
of Holborn to accept normal cases on social grounds only.
Special records have been kept of the home conditions of 197 expectant
mothers visited during 1932, each case being followed up either to a successful
issue or until it became clear that the woman would not enter hospital.
Of the 114 who went into hospital:—
47 (24 primigravidæ) lived in a one-roomed home;
39 (18 primigravidæ) lived in a two or more roomed home.