London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lambeth 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
54
Domiciliary Midwifery
As expected, the number of domiciliary confinements continued to fall,
and also the number of early discharges. There was a disproportionate decline
in the percentage of home confinements as compared with hospital confinements
but there was also a marked decrease in the number of births overall.
Domiciliary Midwives
Domiciliary midwives spend an increasing amount of time on broader
aspects of community services. This included health education and attendance
at general practitioner ante natal sessions.
Attendances by midwives
Domiciliary Confinements 125
Number of hospital confinements conducted by domiciliary midwives 34
Number of hospital cases discharged to midwife before tenth day 847
ANTE-NATAL AND POST-NATAL CLINICS Number of sessions held by
| Medical Officers | 1 |
| Midwives | 72 |
| Sessional General Practitioners | 70 |
| Number of women attending for ante-natal examinations | 118 |
| Number of women attending for post-natal examinations | 13 |
| Ante-natal Mothercraft and Relaxation Classes | |
| (a) Hospital booked | 143 |
| (b) Domiciliary booked | 18 |
| Total | 161 |
| Total attendances | 549 |
MIDWIVES ACT 1951
The Council is the supervising authority for all midwives practising in the
Borough under the Midwives Act, 1951.