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15
Section II.- MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The statistics for the year in regard to births and deaths of infants will be found on
pages 9, 10,12, 13 and 14 of this Report. The number of children born in 1920 reached a total
of 5934 in the year, which was an increase of 55 per cent on the number born in the previous
year. This was the chief cause of the increase in the attendances at the Maternity and Child
Welfare Centres which necessitated some expansion of the staff at the centres. To those
responsible for the Borough Child Welfare Scheme it is a matter for great satisfaction that the
rate of infantile mortality fell in 1920 to a point (73 per 1000 births) far below that of any
previous year.
The borough scheme for Maternity and Child Welfare includes the following activities:—
(a) The dispatch by post of cards of advice to the individual mothers immediately
after the receipt of the notification of birth required by law.
(b) The home visitation of expectant and nursing mothers and babies by the
Council's staff of health-visitors, who work (a) from the Town Hall and
(b) from the Centres.
(c) The provision and maintenance of 13 Maternity and Child Welfare Centres.
These centres are partly maintained on a voluntary basis, but the whole of
the professional staff (medical officers and health visitors) are paid and
controlled by the Council, who also pay the rent, rates and taxes of the centre
premises.
(d) The provision of a clinic for ailing mothers and young children, the expenses
being borne partly municipally and partly from voluntary funds.
(e) The provision of a municipal dental clinic for mothers and young children.
(f)The subsidization of a Home for ailing young children.
(g) The supply of milk free or at reduced price for necessitous mothers (nursing
or expectant) and young children ; and the subsidization of a voluntary fund
for the provision of cheap dinners for such persons.
(h) The subsidization of a voluntary fund for the provision of Home Helps.
(i) The subsidization of the four voluntary Day Nurseries in the borough.
(j) The subsidization of voluntary agencies providing intern and extern
midwifery for St. Pancras women free or at reduced fees.
(k) The payment for the home nursing of sick infants in certain cases. The work
done in 1920 in connection with the scheme will now be referred to in detail: —
Advice Cards.—Cards of advice have been posted to the mothers of all infants whose
births have been notified. These give particulars in regard to the Infant Welfare Centres, as
well as advice in regard to the nurture of the child. Cards of advice to expectant mothers
have also been distributed through University College Hospital, Middlesex Hospital and the
Maternity Nursing Association to those expectants who have arranged for their confinements
through the institutions.
Home Visiting.—This has been done by the health visitors at the Town Hall and by
the Council's staff of health visitors (superintendents and assistants) at the Centres who visit
the mothers attending the Centres and also such notified births as are referred to them by the
Medical Officer of Health.