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79
[1936
THE WORK OF THE FOUR VOLUNTARY WELFARE CENTRES.
Through a communication early in the year from the Medical Officer of Health
of the London County Council, a definite arrangement was come to whereby expectant
mothers attending the Clinic at St. Mary, Islington, Hospital, Highgate Hill, could
between their first and last pre-natal attendances there pay intervening ones at the
nearest local voluntary welfare centre clinic. This hospital has recently increased
its maternity department and it is a rule that any mother who wishes to be confined
at the hospital must attend its pre-natal and post-natal clinics. It was thought that
the arrangement mentioned would prove convenient to the mothers and thus a more
frequent supervision of them would be attainable, as the mother in the voluntary
welfare centre clinics would have a place nearer at hand and less expenditure of
effort and time would be necessary to reach the clinics, and she would not be absent
from home and the other members of the family so long, and these being intervening
visits the continuity with the actual doctor for the confinement was not lost.
As regards infectious and contagious ailments, during the year the Centres did
not to any appreciable extent have their attendances reduced, but during the
prevalence of diarrhoea towards the close of the year children attending the Centres
in common with those of the district, were apparently also affected.
Regarding the general work of the voluntary Welfare Centres it might be
emphasised, as has been stated in a previous year, that the principle that actuates
every department of the work carried out is the establishment of health and the
prevention of possible disease, damage and death—by the education of the mother
before the birth of the child and continuous supervision after until the child attains
school age. The advice given at the Centre is amplified by visits of the Centre
nurses at the homes. Cases of definite illness have necessarily to be referred to the
family doctor, hospitals and consultative clinics when the occasion arises. "Health
Talks" and "Mothercraft Classes" are provided; suitable clothes for children can
be seen and the mothers taught how to make them.
The following activities are either provided or can be procured by all the
Voluntary Welfare Centres:—Pre-natal and Post-natal Clinics; Children's Clinics;
visits by Centre nurses to the homes; mothers can attend the Centres in the mornings
if in difficulty and obtain advice; various classes and "HealthTalks"; convalescence
for mothers and children; dental aid; artificial "Sunlight"; massage; extra
nourishment; training of infant welfare students.
In addition, there are other special activities peculiar to some of the Centres, for
instance—the SouthCentre possesses its own country cottage home for the convalescence
of mothers, infants and toddlers; the North and West Centres possess residential
observation wards. Home helps are provided by the Centre itself for attenders at
the North Centre; "Exercise Classes" were held at the North and East Centres;
Infant welfare pupils, in addition to infant welfare students, are trained at the North
and South Centres; "Thrift Clubs" are run at the North and South Centres and
North also has "Mothers' and Fathers' Committees." The influence of a "Fathers'
Committee "may act as a persuasive for something to be better done, for instance,
a particular father may object to special treatment being obtained for his child
although the mother herself would be willing; it has been known that the influence
of other fathers met through the Centre has turned the balance in the child's favour.