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Maternity Home which is working smoothly at the rate of over 600
births per annum. This number represents about one half the total
pre-war births in Hornsey and about one third of the exceptionally
high number of births in the post-war years.
The births in 1946 numbered 2,008 and this number is likely to be
exceeded in 1947. This tota1 is catered for in a variety of ways in
accordance with the wishes of the mothers, namely:-
(a) Five whole-time Domiciliary Midwives, four of whom are assisted
by Pupil Midwives completing their training for the certificate
"State Certified Midwife" (S.C.M.). These latter are already fully
qualified State Registered Nurses (S.R.N.) and have taken the
examination for the first part of the S.C.M. It will therefore be
appreciated that with this Midwife and Pupil team, the Council's
Domiciliary Midwifery Service is in highly-trained competent hands.
This staff is capable of dealing with 400 to 500 normal births cach
year in the mother's own homes.
(b) The Alexandra Maternity Home new deals with upwards of 600 norma1
births annually.
(c) The North Middlesex County Hospital's Maternity Department has
been the chief provision for Institutional Midwifery in the past.
This hospital is equipped and staffed to deal with any obstetric
emergency, foreseen and unforeseen, and, in addition, has a flyingsquad
which comes out to the aid of Doctors, Midwives or
Maternity Homes in grave emergencies.
(d) Special Maternity Hospitals in London, like Queen Charlotte's,
the City of London Lying-in Hospital, Queen Mary's Maternity Hospital
and the Maternity Departments of the General Hospitals, large and
small, take in a certain number of Hornsey mothers who make their
own arrangements with these institutions.
(e) Private Docters, Specialists and Private Nursing Homes deal with
mothers who prefer to make their own arrangements independently of
any public provision. The number in this group is small and tends to
diminish.
Working in the closest co-operation with this Domiciliary and
Institutional Midwifery Service are the Ante-natal and Post-natal
Clinic Services at the Council's four Maternity and Child Welfare
Centres (which will number six before the end of 1947). These are
staffed by Health Visitors, the Domiciliary Midwives, the Pupils in
training and the Doctors who attend the Alexandra Maternity Home and.
who are also "on call" to the Domiciliary Midwives in case of
difficulty.
As the maternity bed requirements of the Borough are now fully
provided for, even at a period of exceptionally high birth rate, the
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