View report page

52
•
already six ante-natal clinics in the City of Westminster and at least two
others within half a mile of the boundaries. Two of those clinics were
directly under the City Council's control at its own centres, one was at a
voluntary centre, three in general hospitals in the City and two at hospitals
outside the City but in the vicinity.
While a number of medical practitioners and likewise private midwives
in Westminster may avail themselves of the ante-natal clinics at the
hospitals, they make little use of the ante-natal clinics at the welfare
centres. During the past few years the attention of both doctors and
midwives has been drawn to the facilities at those welfare centres, but
they are not made use of by either to any appreciable extent.
With a view to combining the spheres of work of hospital ante-natal
clinics with those of the centres the Council by its agreement with
Westminster Hospital has arranged that both indoor and outdoor cases,
in addition to attending the welfare ante-natal clinics, shall also attend
the hospital ante-natal clinics at least once, or more frequently as the
obstetrician may direct. In this way the educational, preventive and
social side is linked up with the clinical and therapeutic side of ante-natal
care. The midwives of the hospital who are in fact agents of the City
Council attend both sets of ante-natal clinics and form the essential link
in a circle of co-operative effort. They see the patient in her home, at the
welfare centre, at the hospital, and eventually attend her confinement,
whether that be in her own home or in the hospital. This arrangement
applies also to the maternity service of the City of Westminster Health
Society. And although there may be no formal agreement with the other
general hospitals yet it is a fact that women who have arranged for their
confinements through those other hospitals attend locally at the welfare
centre ante-natal clinics. The hospital almoners and the health visitors
are in constant communication and collaboration over those cases. It
should be added that these ante-natal services, linked up as they are with
general hospitals have at their disposal all the specialist medical skill
which the hospitals have at their command. Thus no pregnant woman in
the City of Westminster need lack ante-natal care. Those who prefer not
to avail themselves of the services supplied directly or indirectly by the
Council may attend the voluntary general hospitals as ordinary patients
or, alternatively, become patients of the London County Council hospitals
where ante-natal clinics are also provided.
As regards the proportion of expectant mothers attending the ante-natal
clinics of the City Council (and those of the City of Westminster Health
Society), while the net number of births registered during the year was
1,166, the number of expectant mothers dealt with at the centres was 894;