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24
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The work of the Council's Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme has
increased in every section during the twelve-month period. The new
Clinics which were started at the Health Services Department have proved
popular and are now very well attended. The Sunlight Clinic in
particular has become extremely well attended, in fact the attendances
are becoming so numerous that very shortly it will become necessary to
commence evening clinics and to increase the staff in attendance.
At the beginning of the year it was decided to re-arrange the duties
of the Health Visitors and the Tuberculosis Visitors. In order to increase
the number of visitors and to prevent duplicity of visits, the duties of the
Health Visitors and the Tuberculosis Visitors were combined, each
visitor being given a district for both Maternity and Child Welfare and
Tuberculosis visiting.
In August a Dental Clinic was commenced at the Health Services
Department in connection with the Maternity and Child Welfare
services. This has proved of extreme value and the number of
attendances is increasing. The Maternity and Child Welfare Committee
have noted this increase and have considered the possibility of adding
another session in due course to meet the demands.
A further responsibility for the Council was made on October 1st,
by the taking over of the Maternity and Child Welfare sessions which
had previously been held at St. John's Institute, Larcom Street, under
the control of a voluntary committee. At the present time sessions for
St. John's are being held at the Health Services Department until such
time as the new Centre can be built at Hemp Row. The transference
entailed the taking over of one Health Visitor, Miss Kaye, who has now
been placed on the Council's official staff.
The new Maternity and Child Welfare Centres will shortly be completed;
the one at Pocock Street being in the course of erection and likely
to be completed at the middle of 1939. The purchase of the site for
the new Centre at Hemp Row is, I understand, completed, whilst information
has also been received from the London County Council that the
site for the new Centre in Rockingham Street will be available in the
spring of the new year.
The Council will note with great satisfaction that the infantile
mortality rate for the year is 57, the lowest figure recorded, moreover,
there were no deaths of mothers from puerperal fever and only 2 deaths
as a result of disease and accident of pregnancy.