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Nurses and/or "sitters in" are provided for short periods to patients who live alone and
to others to enable relatives to obtain adequate rest periods from the responsibility of
nursing Under the Welfare Scheme, grants are made on behalf of th e Foundation towards the
cost of hire or supply of special equipment, linen, bedding etc.
Five patients received a total of 100 hours under the Day and Night Nursing Service,
while a further 26 patients were provided with special equipment.
A grant is made by the Council to the Foundation.
DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY SERVICE
The Council operates adomiciliary midwifery service under Section 23 of the National
Health Service Act 1946 by an arrangement for utilising the services of midwives employed
by the London Hospital and by the Nursing Sisters of St John the Divine. In addition the
Council directly employs the non medical supervisor of midwives.
The joint scheme for training midwivesby the Nursing Sisters of St. John the Divine
and the Mile End Hospital, continued during the year. Pupils who completed the course
numbered 16 with 4 pup'ls under training at the end of the year The Council pays to the
hospital 40 per cent of the expenditure involved under the provisions of the Ministry of
Health Circular 8/56 There were 124 home confinements attended by the Midwives Four
general practitioners f rom practices in the borough provided ante-natal care with midwives,
at four of the Council's clinics.
Statistics on page 65
MIDWiVES ACT 1951
The Council is a local supervising authority under the Midwives Act, 1951
supervising functions being carried out by the Council's non medical Supervisor of midwives.
The number of midwives who notified during the year their intention to practice as
midwives within the borough including these in hospitals,was 130 the number practising
at the end of the year being 65.
MATERNITY LIAISON COMMITTEES
The department is represented on local maternity liaison committees by the Medical
Officer of Health or Principal Medical Officer and the non medical supervisor of midwives
or the principal nursing officer. As the borough is served by two hospital management
committees there are separate maternity liaison committees for each group catchment area
VACCINATION AGAINST MEASLES
Vaccination against measles for all children up to the age of 15 years continued,
1,551 children being vaccinated during the year including 191 by general
practitioners,
VACCINATION AGAINST RUBELLA
Vaccination against rubella continued to be offered to all girls between their 11th
and 14th birthdays The purpose is to ensure that as many girls as possible are offered
protection against rubella by vaccination before reaching child-bearing age because of
the known association of certain foetal abnormalities wi th rube 11 a infection in pregnancy.
During the year 743 girls were vaccinated.
OBSERVATION REGISTER
At the end of the year, the Observation Register totalled 5,286 persons comprising:-
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