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receipt of reports from the Council as to the conduct and practice of the midwife
at the end of three and six months. In the third case the midwife was severely
censured, and the Council was asked to make reports upon her conduct and practice
at the end of three and six months. The probationary period in this case was
extended by three months for a further report from the Council.
Owing to the difficulty of assessing the sums to be recovered from patients,
their husbands or other persons liable to maintain them in respect of the fees of
medical practitioners called in by midwives to the patients, the Council, in 1921,
adopted a scale of assessments graduated according to net income, after allowing
a deduction in respect of each maintainable child or other dependant.
Difficulties were encountered in dealing with cases of inflammation of or discharge
from the eyes of infants, particularly in relation to the obtaining of medical assistance.
The reluctance on the part of midwives appeared in many cases to be due to the
fact that they were unwilling to involve their patients in charges for medical attendance,
and in many cases the midwives attempted to treat the eyes, notwithstanding
the risk incurred by their so doing. From the infant's point of view, it is particularly
important that skilled assistance should be available at the earliest opportunity
as the disease may develop rapidly and lead to blindness. In the circumstances the
Council decided, subject to the expenditure being approved by the Ministry of
Health for the purpose of Exchequer grant under the Child Welfare and Maternity
Regulations, to take no steps for the recovery of fees paid to medical practitioners
called in to assist midwives in respect of such cases. The Ministry of Health approved
the proposal. From 1st April, 1926, to 31st March, 1927, the Council's expenditure
under section 14 of the Act of 1918 was £4,270, the sums recovered during the same
period amounting to £1,190. During the year 1926 the Council suspended 10
midwives from practice and awarded compensation amounting to £43 l1s.
Whereas expenditure incurred by the Council under the Midwives Acts ranks for
State grant, at the rate of 50 per cent., the Maternity and Child Welfare Regulations
expressly exclude payments in respect of suspensions from practice to prevent spread
of infection. Having regard to the provisions of the Act of 1926, which entitle a
midwife to recover compensation, as indicated above, the Council decided to approach
the Ministry of Health with a view to the Regulations being amended to allow such
payments to rank for grant.
Courses of lectures and practical demonstrations in ante-natal and post-natal
work and in general midwifery were arranged during the autumn and winter
sessions.
Under section 5 of the Act of 1902, as amended by section 2 of the Act of 1918,
any adverse balance in the accounts of the Central Midwives Board is apportioned
between the councils of the several counties and county boroughs in proportion to
population at the last census, and the Council's proportion for the year 1926 was
£484 10s. lOd.
Further detads of the Council's work are given in Chapter I., pp. 48-51.
Proceedings as indicated below were taken by the Council during 1926 with
regard to smoke nuisance from railway and road locomotives, and some proceedings
were also instituted by the sanitary authorities in respect of smoke nuisance from
trade premises. As regards railway locomotives, section 114 of the Railway Clauses
Consolidation Act, 1845, requires that every locomotive shall be constructed on the
principle of consuming its own smoke, and section 19 of the Regulation of Railways
Act, 1868, enacts that, if a locomotive fails to do this, the railway company shall
be guilty of an offence. Eleven prosecutions were instituted againt railway companies;
11 convictions were obtained, penalties and cost amounting to £31 13s.
being imposed. Three prosecutions were instituted in respect of smoke nuisance
from road locomotives; 2 convictions were obtained, the penalties and costs imposed
amounting to £1.
Smoke
Nuisance.