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48
FAMILY PLANNING IN 1970
1970 was the first full year since Lambeth Council implemented the
National Health Service (Family Planning) Act of 1967 in July 1969.
This act enables local health authorities to provide free consultation for all,
and free supplies for those referred for medical reasons or on grounds of social
hardship. Married or single women are seen. Patients under 16 can have a general
talk with the doctor but are not given contraceptives without the consent of a
parent or guardian. Over the age of 16 this does not apply, but anything discussed
between a patient and a Family Planning doctor is treated as confidential and is
not divulged to a third party without the consent of the patient.
When in the judgement of the F.P.A. doctor an oral contraveptive (the pill)
is to be chosen, the patient is told that her family doctor must be consulted but
this will be done only with her consent. If she refuses her consent, the F.P.A.
doctor uses her professional judgement to give the appropriate advice.
There have been some changes in the Lambeth Family Planning Clinics. At
Easter, the Annie McCall Hospital closed and the I.U.D. session was transferred to
the Outpatients Department at the South London Hospital. This was followed by
the transfer of the session from the Rose McAndrew Clinic in Lingham Street to
a new clinic in the temporary accommodation unit at Ferndale Court.
In early summer the Welfare Centre in Riggindale Road was closed and all
sessions including family planning were transferred to the new Streatham Common
Maternity and Child Health Centre at the junction of Baldry Gardens and
Streatham High Road.
There has been an increase in total clinic patients from 6,737 in 1969 to
7,985 in 1970. To accommodate these a session was started at Streatham Hill
centre in Kirkstall Road and an extra weekly session is now held at Lambeth
Hospital Clinic. The move to Ferndale Court made it possible for a whole day
to be set aside for Family Planning and at these sessions IUD's can be fitted when
required.
The busiest clinic in the Borough is the Clapham Clinic at the South London
Hospital. There are five sessions a week, three of which are double doctor sessions.
At the request of the hospital medical staff, arrangements were made for a
senior family planning nurse to see mothers attending Post Natal clinics to give
advice on birth control methods, and this has proved most successful. Emergency
supplies were issued and an appointment made for one of the family planning
clinics held in the same premises. The nurse has now been asked to visit the
maternity wards in order to make contact with those who do not attend the post
natal clinics.