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63
Maternity and Child IV Welfare.
Borough of Wandsworth War Memorial Maternity Home.
The Maternity Home is situated in Grove Road, Balham,
adjoining the Weir Hospital and provides accommodation for
20 patients with two isolation beds. Since the 1st April, 1934,
the Home has been under the direct management of the Council.
The staff consists of a Medical Officer, who resides in the
Home, a matron, two sisters, six nurses who are trained midwives
and three probationers. There are also nine domestics. Two
Obstetric Consultants and one Ophthalmic Consultant have been
appointed to visit the Home and consult with the Medical Office
as required. There is also a rota of six local medical practitioners
who act in emergencies in the absence of the Medical Officer.
The fee charged for admission to the Home is based on the
income of the applicant's family in accordance with a scale which
has been approved by the Council. Each applicant is expected
to remain in the Home for 14 days.
Women who have booked for admission are required to attend
at the ante-natal clinic which is held at the Maternity Home twice
a week. A post-natal clinic is also held at the Home every week.
During the past year 356 women were admitted to the Home
and the average duration of stay was 14.54 days. 321 deliveries
were carried out by the midwives and 34 by the medical staff.
One infant was born just before the mother was admitted to the
Home.
In 136 cases it was necessary for the midwives to summons
medical assistance in accordance with the requirements of the
Midwives Act.
One case of Puerperal Fever and five of Puerperal Pyrexia
were notified from the Home.
Twelve of the infants were still-born and two died within 10
days of birth.
Three infants were notified as suffering from Ophthalmia
Neonatorum.
Every effort is made while the mothers are in the Maternity
Home, to encourage them to feed their infants, but in 47 cases
the natural feeding had to be supplemented.