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THE MIDWIFERY SERVICE OF THE BOROUGH
Alexandra Maternity Home
Domiciliary Midwifery Service
Ante-nata1 Post-natal Clinic Service
The Alexandr Maternity Home, Muswell Hill.N.10. was acquired
and opened in 1943.
The first extension of the Home, to provide twelve additional
maternity beds, together with labour rooms, nursery, etc., was
completed by the Borough Engineer & Surveyor en the 31st December,
1946 and opened for the reception of patients on the 1st Jonuary,
1947.
The new wing is at present a one storey brick building with flat
roof on the Alexandra Park Read frontage. In foundations and structure,
it is capable of taking first and second floors as may be demanded by
the needs of the future.
The accommodation new available at the Maternity Home comprsrs 25
lying-in beds, divided into small wards of 3, 4, 5 and 7 beds, and 6
single-bed rooms, together with three labour wares, two infant
nurseries and all the necessary ancillary services (bathrooms, sluice
rooms, store rooms, sterilising rooms, milk room, etc.)forming a
compact and easily worked unit all on the ground floor.
On the first floor in the original house, 11, Alexandra Park
Road, are rooms capable of taking six ante-natal patients, on
extremely important provision in view of the number of expectant
mothers who may need a period of rest and treatment during pregnancy.
Well away from these rooms, on the same floor, at the back of the
building, is an isolation room complete with its own sterilising room,
bathroom and water-closet.
The former lift-shaft of a hand-operated lift Which was never used,
has been converted into four very useful compartments, namely, a drug
and dressing store on the ground floor, a duty room on the second floor
and an extra staff bathroom on the third floor.
It should be open to every expectant woman, primipara or multipara,
normal or abnormal, rich or poor, well housed or badly housed to choose
whether she should have her baby at home, as some refer, or away from
home as an increasing number desire, and whether at home or away, she
should have at her disposa1 everything that modern science, obstetric
skill and the art of midwifery can provide to make the birth of her
baby a safe and pleasant and happy experience.
I am glad to be able to report that this ideal has now been achieved
in Hornsey. There is now no "maternity bed problem" in this Borough.
It has been solved by the acquisition and extension of the Alexandr
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