View report page

37
Additional Facilities available at Welfare Centres.
(i) Home Helps. The system of Home Helps inaugurated
in May, 1928, by the Council has again proved its usefulness
during the year. 97 applications were received, 25 being emergency
cases.
The expense to the Council was only £53 5s. 0d., and from
every point of view the money could scarcely have been better
spent.
(ii) Sterile Maternity Outfits. These outfits contain sterilised
dressings, etc., and are sold at cost price at every Welfare Centre.
In the course of the year 498 of these outfits were sold. The
Council has sanctioned the issue of these outfits free or at reduced
cost in cases of poverty.
22 applications (1 since cancelled) for assistance towards the
purchase of these outfits from necessitous cases were received in the
course of the year at a cost to the Council of £2 9s. 9d.
(iii) Sterilization of Bed Linen, etc. During the year 22
applications only were received from the whole area in connection
with the service which is entirely free.
(iv) Co-operation with Voluntary Hospitals. There is
now an active liaison between the almoners of the various hospitals
in the Metropolis and the Public Health Department in respect
of the Lambeth Mothers who apply for both in- and out-patient
treatment for their confinements. Such cases are visited by the
Council's Health Visitors, who refer mothers to their local Welfare
Centre for advice for themselves, and for patterns of baby clothing,
etc., and full reports are forwarded to the almoner of the hospital
concerned. After the confinement every mother is followed up to
insure attendance at the post-natal clinic. The total number of
these cases (both ante-natal and post-natal) visited and reported
upon during 1936 was 2,159 distributed as follows :—
St. Thomas's Hospital 696
King's College Hospital 233
General Lying-in Hospital 327 1,855
Lambeth Hospital ... 599