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Provision of Maternity Beds in Hospitals.—The Council
adopted the following scheme by which maternity patients may be
admitted to the Mothers' Hospital, Clapton.
That the Council pay the sum of one guinea in respect of each
necessitous case admitted from the Borough.
A necessitous case is defined as one who, by reason of poverty
or other causes, is unable to pay for the treatment received, an
amount equal to one-half the average cost per patient of the,
maintenance and administration charges. Last year the cost per
in-patient was £9 9s. 8¼d.
During the year the Council paid the sum of £5 5s. respecting
5 cases admitted to the Hospital under the above arrangement.
Sterile Maternity Outfits.—A supply of these outfits which.
contain sterile dressings, etc., is kept at the Welfare Centres for,
sale at cost price (5s. 10d. or free issue to necessitous cases).
Home Helps.—A Home Help is a person competent to do
domestic work who goes into a home to do house work and cooking
and to take care of the children, when the mother is laid aside by
a confinement.
It must be understood that a Home Help does not perform the
duties of a District Nurse or Midwife; and that her duties are
limited to domestic work and have nothing to do with the birth
of the child.
A scheme for providing Home Helps was inaugurated in 1931.
The payment to be made was fixed at five shillings for an eighthour
day, exclusive of food, and the Home Helps on the panel are
under the supervision of the Medical Officer and the Health Visitors.
During the year eight women of approved character were retained
on the panel, and their services were called upon on 39 occasions
at a cost to the Council of £136.
Award of Merit Certificates.—The Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee authorised the award of Merit Certificates to
those mothers who had shown skill in mothercraft during the year,
and in July the Mayoress (Mrs. J. Newman Butler) visited the
Barton House Welfare Centre and presented the certificates to
the successful mothers.
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