View report page

purposes but to advise and assist the child-minder in the care of the young children
under her charge.
At the end of the year, 15 statutorily registered child-minders were providing
places for 77 children.
Domiciliary Midwifery
To meet the needs of mothers wishing to have a home confinement 13 domiciliary
midwives were employed by the Council; in addition four midwives from the General
Lying-in Hospital covered a selected area in the Borough. The midwives visit the
expectant mother to assess the suitability of the home for domiciliary confinement,
or its suitability for the mother and baby to return home to the care of the midwife
48 hours after confinement in one of the local hospitals. The "early discharge"
scheme is growing, this year 733 mothers were able to enjoy the facilities of this
scheme.
To supplement clinic attendances each mother booked for home confinement
received at least three home visits so that the midwife could advise on the preparation
of the home and ante-natal care. In two centres, classes in the psycho-prophylactic
method of relaxation were held to which ante-natal mothers who had booked either
for hospital or domiciliary confinement were invited. All midwives have attended a
course of instruction to enable them to assist mothers in this form of relaxation
during labour. Entonox—a new form of analgesia for administration during labour is
now carried by every midwife as well as the better known Trilene apparatus.
There were 735 domiciliary confinements during the year. Of these 35 were
premature births; six were stillbirths.
Approximately 80 per cent of the Council's midwives are approved teachers under
the Central Midwives Board second period Training Scheme. At the 1st January
1967 there were four pupil midwives attached to the midwives for training; during
the year 27 pupils completed three months district training: two were attached at
31st December 1967. Student Nurses from Guy's Hospital doing the obstetric training
course also made visits of observation to the ante-natal clinic and accompanied the
midwives on home visits.
We have continued the joint arrangement with the London Boroughs of
Lambeth and Wandsworth of providing two non-medical supervisors to co-ordinate,
on a rota basis, a 24 hour control of the midwifery services throughout the three
boroughs.
Premature Baby Unit and Emergency Obstetric Unit
When the Premature Baby Unit or Emergency Obstetric Unit is required, the
doctor or midwife telephones the ambulance service (or asks a third person to
telephone giving that person the yellow premature baby unit or the white emergency
obstetric unit card, and stating the nature of the emergency). The Ambulance Service
alerts the Unit concerned at the appropriate hospital and sends an ambulance to
pick up the unit and take it to the patient's home. The ambulance stands by at the
home to take the mother and/or baby to hospital if necessary and will later return the
Unit to its base.
16