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The position has improved as a result of a scheme introduced
in 1963 which set up "catchment areas" for the main maternity
hospitals. Expectant mothers are now booked for admission to
certain hospitals which have agreed to accept cases from the
mother's area of residence. This scheme has led to a greater flexibility
and has gone a considerable way towards avoiding the
highly unsatisfactory situation that formerly sometimes arose when
it was not possible to book a bed for an expectant mother and
reliance had to be made on emergency procedure for admission.
There is little doubt that this scheme has proved its worth and
alleviated a good deal of anxiety and worry on the part not only of
the expectant mothers themselves but also of their attendants.
The Maternity Liaison Committee, which represents all local
interests in co-ordinating administrative and executive action, met
during the year. This Committee provides a valuable meeting
place where the three arms of the health service, namely, hospital,
general practitioner and local health authority, can discuss mutual
problems and difficulties.
Early Discharge of Maternity Patients
In order to make the fullest use of the hospital maternity beds
available, the department continued to co-operate with the maternity
hospitals by arranging for the planned early discharge of
suitable patients 48 hours after confinement. Full arrangements
are made well in advance of the confinement and the patients
return home to the care of their own general practitioners and
domiciliary midwives. The number of patients discharged under
this scheme has increased over the years and this year totalled 438
and I am glad to say that our part-time midwives and district
nurse midwives have covered the work admirably.
Premature Infants
Any child weighing 5½ lb. or less at birth is regarded as premature,
and great care is taken to ensure that adequate help and
advice are available for mothers with premature babies. The
numbers of premature births during the year were as follows:—
(a) Born in hospital 418
(b) Born in hospital and died within 28 days of birth 49
(c) Born at home or in a nursing home 18
(d) Premature stillbirths in hospital 42
(e) Premature stillbirths at home or in a nursing home 4
Of the 18 children under (c), one was transferred to hospital
immediately but died within 24 hours of birth.
Handicap and Observation Register
In recent years it has come to be recognized that an increasing
proportion of children who need special education in school, and
extra help later in life, acquire their handicaps in the pre-natal,