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Emergency Bed Service to find them a bed when labour commences
or have to arrange to have the confinement at home which may bring
them into conflict with their landlord and reluctant relatives. This
is a frequent source of worry and an improvement in the situation
shows no sign of appearing.
Another hindrance to helping mothers to a calm readiness for
labour is the language difficulty. There appears to be an increase
in foreign-speaking patients at all the centres, particularly of Cypriots
at Burgoyne Road Centre and at Weston Park.
It is becoming a practice throughout the country to use an
ante-natal record card which is carried by the patient herself
called the co-operation card - to facilitate exchange of information
between hospitals, general practitioners, clinics and midwives. This
has been introduced in a limited way in the Area and if it is successful
it is hoped to extend it to cover all patients.
During the year an improvement has been made in the collection
and despatch of blood samples in Hornsey. Plastic disposable syringes
and bottles are now used. The purpose of the change has been to
improve the service for early diagnosis of anaemia during pregnancy.
The percentage of expectant mothers making at least one attendance
at one of the local authority ante-natal clinics was 61.2% in 1961
compared with 61.3% the previous year.