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Maternity and Child Welfare. 67
When this centre was opened the boundaries of the areas
served by the Centres in Balham, Streatham, Tooting and Springfield
were re-adjusted with the object of preventing an excessive number
of attendances at any of the sessions held at these Centres.
The Council's medical staff conduct the Infant Sessions at
the Municipal Buildings Clinic. The Medical Officer of the clinic
in Longley Road is Dr. Pickard, who has acted in a similar capacity
for the other centres in Tooting for a number of years.
Each of the 11 voluntary centres has a Medical Officer,
appointed by the Centre Committee, and two of them have
Superintendents, who are also officers of these Committees. The
Council pay grants equivalent to 75 per cent. of the approved
expenditure of each of the Centres.
There are a number of ladies acting as voluntary workers at
the Infant Welfare Clinics in the Borough who assist in keeping
the Centre records and in arranging for the purchase of food,
drugs and clothing. These ladies work at the Municipal Centres
as well as at those which are voluntary and the assistance which
they render is much appreciated. There is the closest co-operation
between them and those members of the Council's staff who work
at the Clinics., There is still ample scope for the services of these
ladies at the two Municipal Clinics although they have been relieved
of the necessity of raising funds to meet part of the expenditure
of the Centre.
Christmas parties for mothers were held at both the Municipal
Clinics. The programme of dancing and games was much appreciated
by the mothers and children.
Table XXX. gives the full details of the work carried out at
the 13 Infant Welfare Centres in the Borough. The statistics
shown for Fairlight Hall Centre include two sessions for the first
three months of the year. On the 1st April, 100 infants were
transferred from this Centre to the new centre at the Baptist
Church Hall, Longley Road.
3,652 new infants were examined during the year, and the
total attendances were 61,714.
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