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GENERAL PROVISIONS OF HEALTH SERVICES IN THE AREA.
Nursing In the Home.
The number of visits paid to children under five years of
age was 4,403 (3,762) and to persons over five years of age
1,671 (913).
Wolfare Centres.
Total individual casos dealt with
16,350
(16,140)
" sessions held
2,573
(2,636)
" ante-natal cases
3,235
(3,566)
" post-natal cases
890
(888)
" nursing mothers
3,402
(4,600)
" infants under 1
4,797
(3,800)
" children 1-5
4,114
(3,286)
Visits paid to A/N cases
7,303
(7,232)
" " 11 P/N cases
2,857
(2,377)
" " " nursing mothors
22,225
(22,417)
" " " infants undor 1
21,267
(19,564)
" " " childron 1-5
41,752
(41,927)
Welfare work has always laboured undor the two disadvantages
that attendance at a welfare centre unlike that at school is
voluntary and that the health visitor enters a home only by
invitation. Before the war most mothers went to tho welfare
centres as they do now becauso thoy believed the advice and help
given was good for their children as well as for themselves. In
present times with so many mothers at work attendance is in
consequence loss regular and some who get the extra vitamins from
a food control centre do so in preference to attending the
welfare centre in order to avoid mooting the health visitor.
There is still a good deal of movement of population from
one area to another much of which cannot be followed so that
many nursing mothers are counted twice or even more times corresponding
to the numbor of changes of address requiring changes
of welfare centre. The lack of voluntary help compared with
pre-war days is a noticeable feature at all welfare centres ,
although a few voluntary workers are able to give their time and
energy as freely now as ever they did before the war.
The post natal clinic attendances continue their slow
increase although this does not imply that tho attitude towards
post natal care is apathetic since, most mothers attend the
hospital whore thoy went to bo confined for post natal care and
advice, and not necessarily the local wolfare centre.
Child Life Protection.
1,142 visits and re-visits were made to foster mothers and
nurse children.
Foster mothers on Register at 31.12.43. 29 (34)
Nurse children on Rogister at 31.12.43. 34 (41)
The demand for foster mothers far outstrips tho supply
because with part time factory employment so easy to obtain, there
is a greater financial incentive for a woman to undertake work of
national importance in a factory than the equally urgent work also
of national importance in caring for tho children of these who are
unable to look after them. Bombing also appears to bo a
deterrent from undertaking the responsibility.
Assistance towards cost of Midwives.
(Nil) (Nil)