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45
During the year, the Family Planning Association opened a further clinic on Thursday evenings at
the Maternal and Child Welfare Centre, Westminster Council House Extension, to satisfy a demand
for this service by women working and residing in the Baker Street area.
The new service set up at one of the Council's maternal and child welfare centres in collaboration
with the Board of Governors at St. Mary's Hospital and the Eugenics Society is continuing to prove
most successful. A health visitor trained in family planning methods visits the patients in the hospitals
maternity unit and invites interested mothers to attend a special session at which the postnatal
examination is combined with family planning advice. After this visit most patients are referred to
their family doctor or to a clinic in their own home area.
In 1968, a weekly counselling clinic for young persons seeking family planning advice was
opened; need necessitated a second clinic opening in 1969 and further expansion has resulted in the
appointment of a full-time social worker in this field. Detailed reference to this service is given on
page 48.
VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION
Vaccination and immunisation against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, measles
and smallpox are available to all children under school-leaving age, either at the child welfare
centres, in schools or at the surgeries of their family doctors. Smallpox vaccination is also available
in the medical suite at City Hall for adults residing or working in Westminster, and 76 adults were so
vaccinated in 1970 in addition to 29 at maternal and child welfare centres. In addition, immunisation
against poliomyelitis and tetanus is provided for adults on request.
It is well known that an attack of rubella (German measles) in early pregnancy may harm the
unborn child and much research has been undertaken over a long period to find a way to protect
girls against this disease. Ultimately a safe vaccine was produced and in 1969 extensive national
trials of this vaccine were carried out; indeed, some volunteer girls at Sarah Siddons School in
Paddington took part. The successful outcome prompted the Department of Health and Social
Security to recommend that vaccination against rubella should be offered to all girls between their
eleventh and fourteenth birthdays. In view, however, of the limited supply of vaccine this could only
be made available initially to girls in their fourteenth year. Accordingly, in September, 1970, parents
of all girls within that age group were given information about the disease, the possible consequences
if contracted during pregnancy and the protection which their children could be given either by
arrangement with their general practitioner or by the City Council's school medical officers. Further
details are given under the report of the School Health Service on page 60.
QUEENS PARK MATERNAL AND CHILD WELFARE CENTRE
LANCEFIELD STREET, W.10
Due to redevelopment of the Herries Street North area of the North Westminster project, the
Maternal and Child Welfare Centre situated at 66 Lancefield Street, W.10 will be demolished in
1971. Pending replacement of this building by a new health centre on a site which will not become
available for some time, the City Council approved the construction of a temporary prefabricated
building on Council ground, adjacent to St. Jude's Hostel in Lancefield Street. Work commenced
during 1970 and the temporary centre opened in March 1971.
MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC
In my last Annual Report I expressed the hope that in 1971 I would be able to describe the early
days of operation of a mobile health clinic in Westminster.
Unfortunately, after interminable delays, the two specialist firms from whom quotations were
invited eventually withdrew from all negotiations; one firm went into Receivership, whilst the other,
which was experiencing production difficulties, finally referred the City Council's specification to a
company specialising in building mobile clinics and other similar units for foreign governments, the
Foreign Office, etc.
The clinic is now being built and present indications are that it will be in operation towards the
end of 1971, a year later than originally envisaged.