View report page

44
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
MATERNITY AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICE
There are fourteen Maternity and Child Health Centres in the Borough,
some in purpose-built or adapted accommodation and others in rented premises.
Because of the difficulty in persuading mothers living in Ferndale Court,
Ferndale Road, S.W.9. to bring their children to the Rose McAndrew Centre, the
Committee agreed to the provision of a branch clinic in a ground floor flat at
Ferndale Court, rented from the Housing Department. Sessions to be provided at
the clinic include child health, vaccination and immunisation, cervical cytology
and family planning.
Mothers attend at child health centres with infants from the age of two
weeks for the purpose of getting advice from health visitors and clinic doctors
about mothercraft and care of their children and for routine developmental
examinations by clinic medical officers. Mothers may attend as often as they
wish but are invited to attend for routine developmental examinations at three
monthly intervals for the first year. Thereafter, they should attend at six monthly
intervals until the child's second birthday, after which they should attend at least
once yearly for medical examination. As required, children are referred for further
developmental examinations to the Borough's Developmental Clinics held at
selected child health centres where they are seen by specialists in developmental
paediatrics, who refer them to assessment centres, if necessary, or continue to
keep them under supervision.
Other services available for children at the centres include routine
prophylaxis against smallpox, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis
and measles, as well as creche facilities.
For mothers, ante-natal and post-natal, cervical cytology and family
planning clinics and health education are provided. At two centres evening child
health clinics are provided for working mothers. Health visitors working from
the centres visit mothers and children under five in their homes, as well as other
members of the family, and including old people whether as part of a family unit
or living alone.
Mothers and families know the health centres as a focal point where they
can contact the health visitor and visit at intervals for consultation with the
clinic medical officers.