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iv
Work on these lines has for some time been carried out in Westminster,
but the Council decided that in order to secure greater
efficiency the City should be divided into three parts, to each of which a
Health Visitor should be appointed. To one of these the Council's
Health Visitor (Mrs. Watkinson) was appointed, and with respect to
the other two an arrangement was come to with the Westminster Health
Society whereby that body should provide properly qualified health
visitors. This scheme received the approval of the Local Government
Board, and will be put into operation during 1916.
Each of the three general hospitals in the City—Charing Cross, St,
George's, and Westminster Hospitals—has a maternity department
through which women receive medical and other attention at their
homes, and if necessary, in difficult cases, can be admitted as in-patients
to the hospital. Expectant mothers are also seen, and advice and treatment
given as and when necessary. Inquiry is being made to ascertain
how far they are prepared to co-operate with the Council in order
that their schemes may be effectually linked up with that of the
Council.
Although Parliament placed upon the Borough authorities the. duty
of carrying out work of this description, the County Council introduced
a Bill asking that they should have power to supervise Lying-in-Homes.
It was pointed out to the Committee of the House of Lords that if the
County Council received such powers it would cause considerable overlapping,
and the Committee apparently agreed that this would
occur, but as there were in the Bill other sections dealing with urgent
matters, not relevent to this portion, the Committee were forced to pass
the Bill as it stood, otherwise had they substituted the Borough Councils
for the County Council they were threatened that the whole Bill would
be endangered. The Committee, however, were able to insert a clause
empowering the County Council to delegate their powers. The Borough
Councils subsequently expressed their willingness to undertake the duty,
pointing out that it could be carried out without any extra expense, but
the County Council declined to accede. Consequently these homes are
now subjected to a double inspection.
The County Council in their evidence relied upon the fact that they
had two medical inspectors of midwives who could undertake the
necessary supervision, anil that the number might be supplemented, but
after the Bill was passed the Council appointed the Public Control
Committee (which deals with weights and measures, storage of petrol,
&c.) to carry out its provisions !
With the view of saving the lives of young children suffering from
measles, the Local Government Board has made an Order making compulsory
the notification of measles and German measles at the beginning