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29
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The staff engaged in maternity and child welfare work consists of a Superintendent Health
Visitor, 10 whole-time Health Visitors, one of whom also acts as Infant Protection Visitor and one
as Almoner for the Borough Council's Maternity Wards, 10 part-time Medical Officers, 3 parttime
Masseuses, and I Clerical Assistant.
Health Visitors.
The duties of these officers are:—
(1) To visit the homes of children from birth up to the age of 5 years where considered necessary.
(2) To make enquiries concerning stillbirths and deaths of infants and young children.
(3) To visit and give advice to parents in cases of ophthalmia of the new-born, infective enteritis
and other important diseases.
(4) To investigate all cases of puerperal fever and puerperal pyrexia.
(5) To attend the maternity and infant consultations at the Centres provided by the Paddington
School for Mothers.
The home visiting work performed by the Health Visitors during the year is summarised in the
appended table:—

The total number of children on the Health Visitors lists at the close of the year was 4,977.
Maternity and Child Welfare Centres.
For many years the need of a more suitable headquarters for the carrying out of the maternity
and child welfare work of the Borough has been apparent, emphasis on the necessity being referred
to by the Minister of Health as a result of his investigations into the services during 1934. The
present premises, 232, Harrow Road, have proved unsuitable and insufficient to cope with the
growth of the staff and work, having been in use since 1910, when the then Paddington Health Society
was divided into two distinct bodies, one to deal with tuberculosis and the other infant welfare. The
latter was the Paddingdon School for Mothers.
In June, 1934, the Council decided to proceed with a scheme for the provision of a well equipped
Centre of modern type, but owing to the difficulty experienced in finding a suitable site, and to the
prolonged negotiations in securing the Parsonage site near Lock Bridge (which was the one eventually
decided upon), full proposals were not ready for submission to the Council by the end of the
year. It is hoped that the Centre will be in use early in 1937.
The existing Centres are provided by the Paddington School for Mothers, which is a voluntary
society financed by voluntary contributions and by grants from the Paddington Borough Council.
An annual contribution of £500 is made by the Council to the Paddington School for Mothers.
This is provided for in the Scheme made by the Minister of Health under Section 101 (6) of the Local
Government Act, 1929.
The following is a brief account of the activities of the Paddington School for Mothers:—
Centres (as in December, 1935).
232, Harrow Road, W.2.—Nine good rooms and Health Visitors' rest room, warmed by gas fires.
Bath room.