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16
Student Health Visitors.
At the request of the Royal College of Nursing, the Battersea Polytechnic and
the London County Council, a total of eight Health Visitor Students attended in
this Borough during 1947 as part of their practical training in home visiting, and in
welfare centre clinic duties.
Emergency Obstetric Unit.
One of the most valuable contributions towards saving the lives of mothers in
confinements was the establishment of the Emergency Obstetric Unit, popularly
known as the "Flying Squad." This service was first provided for the Borough on
behalf of the Council by University College Obstetric Hospital in 1938, and is
believed to be the first of such Units formed in the Metropolis.
It was provided to cope with emergencies arising in home confinements, in
particular to give treatment in the home in cases where there would be an undesirable
risk in removing the mother to hospital immediately. The Hospital undertook to
make the Unit available any time day or night when called by doctor or midwife
for any home confinement in the Borough. The Unit consists of a staff of three,
one senior obstetric specialist, an assistant medical officer, and an experienced nurse,
and the equipment also includes everthing necessary for blood or similar transfusions.
By the nature of the Unit it was intended that every call for its assistance should
be of a life and death character. Naturally, therefore, it was not expected or hoped
that calls would be frequent, although every call would be of the utmost importance.

The following cases are typical of those for which the Unit is being called out.
Case 1.—The obstetric Flying Squad was called at 11.20 p.m. the call being
received from Dr.—. Patient who is 22 had been delivered of her first baby and
immediately after delivery of the placenta there had been a very severe post-partum
haemorrhage with the loss of 80 ounces of blood. On arrival of the Flying Squad at
the house the patient was found to be in a state of collapse with a pulse rate of 140
and blood pressure of 80/50. Patient was given plasma and blood transfusion, one
pint of each, and morphia, and with this treatment she made a very satisfactory
improvement and the Flying Squad left the house at 1 a.m.
Case 2.—The Obstetric Flying Squad was called by Dr. —, at 10 a.m. and the
Unit arrived at the house at 10.20 a.m. The patient was found to be in a state of
obstetric shock suffering from post-partum haemorrhage. Her blood pressure was
80/50 and her pulse rate about 100. An immediate transfusion of Group O Rh—