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108
APPENDIX III.
MATERNITY NEEDS OF THE BOROUGH OF LAMBETH
Report of Medical Officer of Health presented to the Council on October
20th, 1924.
The Borough of Lambeth is fortunate in being already served by
four large Maternity Hospitals—the Inner Districts by the General
Lying-in Hospital (York Road), the Clapham Maternity Hospital
(Jeffreys Road), and St. Thomas's Hospital (Maternity Department),
and the Outer Districts by King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill
(Maternity Department). Arrangements could be made by the Council
for a certain number of Hospital beds to be reserved for Lambeth cases,
under the Council's direct or indirect supervision, at a definite weekly
charge per bed, when occupied. In each case, the expectant mother
would have to be assessed, with a view to a payment being made to the
Council of such a fee as could be afforded, having regard to the
particular family's economic condition (income and outgoings). These
institutional beds would be in addition to the Poor Law Infirmary beds
(Maternity Department), which are available for Poor Law cases, and
the beds provided at the West Norwood Maternity Home and any other
additional Home that may be inaugurated (on similar lines) by the
Council. All expectant mothers would be referred to these Poor Law
Institutions, Hospitals and Homes through the various Maternity and
Child Welfare Centres. In this way a complete Maternity Scheme might
be inaugurated for the whole of the Borough as a part voluntary and
part Municipal scheme, thereby supplementing the existing arrangements
made by the Borough Council for maternity and child welfare under the
control of the Council's Maternity and Child Welfare Committee.
Private cases would continue to be dealt with as at present, viz. :
by private medical practitioners or midwives in private Nursing Homes
or in private houses.
Such a complete Maternity Scheme would take in all classes, viz:—
(a) Poor Law cases; (b) Hospital cases; (c) Voluntary or Municipal
Maternity, Home cases; and (d) private cases—(a) under the Guardians
(as at present), (b) and (c) under the respective Hospital Managements
and the Borough Council, and (d) under private medical practitioners.