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37
Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital.—During the year 1938, 24 infants of mothers resident
in Paddington attended the Infant Consultation Centre. The average number of attendances per
infant was 31.
During 1938 there were received into the Hospital for confinement 135 women from Paddington,
and 239 Paddington women were delivered in their own homes by midwives from the Hospital.
The average attendance of these patients at the Ante-natal Clinic was approximately 8.
St. Mary's Hospital.—There is no Infant Consultation Centre at this Hospital, but in addition
to the ordinary ante-natal consultations one is specially held each week for women who have booked
beds in the Borough Council's Maternity Wards at the Hospital. The number of attendances at
that Clinic during the year was 1,518 by 181 women. No definite figures are available as to the
number of Paddington women who attended the ordinary ante-natal consultations but the number
of confinements attended by the Hospital extern staff in the Borough was 55 and presumably all
of these received examination and advice there.
Maternity Nursing.—The arrangements whereby the Paddington and St. Marylebone District
Nursing Association provided the services of trained maternity nurses in connection with lying-in
cases attended by the students and the Medical Officer of the Extern Midwifery Department of St.
Mary's Hospital was terminated on the 31st March, 1938, when the domiciliary midwifery service
provided by the London County Council under the Midwives Act, 1936, came into operation.
The number of confinements attended by the nursing staff up to the 31st March was 16, the
number of visits being 357. The figures for 1937 were 63 and 1,260 respectively.
Maternity Wards.—The agreement with the Board of Management of St. Mary's Hospital by
which a suite of wards containing 14 beds was available for patients accepted for admission by the
Borough Council expired on the 31st March, 1938. In view of the increased facilities for expectant
mothers then existing in other institutions, and of the fact that on an average only two-thirds of
the beds had latterly been occupied, it was decided to enter into a new agreement from the 1st April,
1938, for the reservation of a ward of six beds on the same terms as previously, viz., 9s. per day for
each bed, whether occupied or not, for a further period of four years, subject to the whole matter
being again considered at the end of the third year. Any additional beds which may be needed are
available at the same rate.

Note.—Assessments are made in accordance with the above where only one maternity benefit is expected.
Where there is no maternity benefit a reduction will be made, but where two are payable an
increase of the scale is made where deemed necessary.
The duties of Maternity Wards Almoner are carried out by Miss Hill, one of the Council's
Health Visiting staff.
During the year, 191 women were delivered in the wards. Three cases of puerperal pyrexia
were notified. There were 7 stillbirths, and 2 deaths within 10 days of birth.
Midwifery Service.—The arrangements with the Paddington and St. Marylebone District Nursing
Association were terminated on the 31st March, 1938, on the coming into operation of the London
County Council domiciliary midwifery service. Up to that date the Association's midwifery staff
attended 15 cases.