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38
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE CENTRES
There are thirteen maternity and child welfare centres in the borough, some
in purpose built or adapted accommodation and others in rented premises.
The Council provides facilities at some centres for general practitioner
obstetricians to see their own booked maternity patients and 225 such sessions
were held during the year.
Dental treatment is provided for expectant and nursing mothers and children
under five years, the attendance being 78 and 213 respectively. The service is
provided in conjunction with that for school children, combined use being made
of staff and premises.
Mothercraft and relaxation classes are held by domiciliary midwives and
health visitors in the maternity and child welfare centres for both hospital and
domiciliary booked cases.
National welfare foods (Dried milk, cod liver oil, and orange juice) are issued
at approved prices at all the Council’s maternity and child welfare centres. In
addition, certain proprietary baby foods are supplied at special prices on the
recommendation of clinic doctors or health visitors to children who attend the
centre.
Tests for the detection of phenylketonuria are carried out by health visitors
on all babies before the age of eight weeks. Phenylketonuria is a metabolic
disorder which if left untreated may lead to mental subnormality.
Other services available at the welfare centres include infant welfare,
cervical cytology, toddlers’ and family planning sessions. Chiropody and creche
facilities are also provided.
CERVICAL CYTOLOGY SCREENING SERVICE-1967
The two weekly clinics for the collection of cervical smears, which were
established in 1966, continued to operate and provide a limited service to well
women aged 35 years and over who were resident in Lambeth. During the Spring
of 1967 the South East and South West Regional Metropolitan Hospital Boards
successfully recruited laboratory technicians for the reading of cervical smears
and offered further facilities to the Borough, with the results that three additional
weekly clinics were established at West Norwood, Loughborough and Moffat Welfai
Centres.
The waiting lists which had grown up during the earlier months were gradually
eliminated and it was possible to extend the service to all women resident in the
Borough, and, later to those non-residents who were in employment in the Borough
A talk and film show was arranged for female Council employees and .those inter- J
ested in the service were invited to attend special sessions held in the Town Hal