London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Pancras 1931

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]

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24
Institutional Provision for Unmarried Mothers.
The Main Memorial Home, 49, Cartwright Gardens, W.C. 1, provides accommodation
lor young unmarried women expecting for the first time to become mothers. The Home is
maintained by funds obtained from voluntary sources, but a grant is made by the Ministry of
Health.
Ambulance Facilities.
London Ambulance Service. Tel. City 7200.—This now includes the ambulance service
of the late Metropolitan Asylums Board, the late Boards of Guardians, and the London
County Council Accident Service. The two first named have been amalgamated under the
title General Ambulance Section, the last continues to function as hitherto under the title
of Accident Section.
(a) The Accident Ambulanccs provide for the conveyance to hospitals, infirmaries or
private residences of :—
1. Persons meeting with accidents or suffering from sudden illnesses in the streets,
public places and places of employment.
2. Persons meeting with accidents in their homes.
3. Persons suffering from illnesses in their homes, if a medical practitioner certifies
that the case is one of life or death, that no other ambulance is available and that
arrangements have been made for the reception of the patient in a hospital.
4. Parturient women, if the case is one of urgency, whether from the home, place
of business, or elsewhere, on the application of a qualified medical practitioner or certified
midwife, provided that either a doctor or midwife accompanies the case.
5. Non-urgent cases of parturition, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m., if
letters of admission to maternity hospitals are produced, it being sufficient in such cases
for a female friend to accompany the patient.
No charge is made in respect of the services provided in any of the categories
enumerated above. The servicc normally functions within the County of London, but
excludes the City of London, within which the Corporation maintains its own ambulance
service for the removal of casualties within its area.
(b) The General Ambulances deal with the transport of cases, both infectious and noninfectious,
in connection with admissions to and discharges and transfers from the hospitals and
institutions of the London County Council, within and without the administrative County
of London, which includes the City. No charge is made in respect of these services, except
in the case of the removal of maternity patients in certain cases under agreements with
Metropolitan Borough Councils.
General Ambulances are also supplied on payment of prescribed charges for the
conveyance of infectious and non-infectious cases between private houses, hospitals (other
than those referred to above), nursing homes, etc., and for examination, consultation and
treatment by specialists or at special establishments.
The charges for work carried out for public authorities and for journeys extending
outside the county are, for one or two persons conveyed, 1s. a mile up to 50 miles, and
thereafter 10d. a mile; for more than two persons the scale charges are higher. Additional
charges are made as follows: — (a) 5s. for the services of a nurse for a period up to two hours,
and thereafter at an extra charge of 2s. an hour or part of an hour; and (b) 5s. an hour or
part of an hour for keeping an ambulance waiting more than 15 minutes.