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Payment of
medical fees.
The Midwives Act, 1918, imposed upon the Council the duty of paying
fees to medical practitioners called in by midwives in cases of emergency. The
patient is required to reimburse the Council according to her means. The Minister
of Health has laid down a scale of fees to which local authorities must adhere.
Claims accepted during the year numbered 3,172, compared with 3,528 in
1932, the total amount involved being £3,729, compared with £4,077 17s. in
1932. The Midwives Act, 1926, fixed a limit of time, namely, two months from
the date of the first visit, within which a medical practitioner must submit his
claim. In pursuance of this provision, 36 claims amounting to £38 16s. 6d. were
refused during 1933.
Registration
of nursing
homes.
The Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927, came into operation on 1st July,
1928, and repealed Part II of the Midwives and Maternity Homes Act, 1926, and also
so much of any local acts as provided for the registration of maternity homes. The
Annual Report for 1928 (Vol. III, pp. 53-54) indicates fully the powers of the Council
under the Act.
A nursing home is defined as "any premises used or intended to be used for the
reception of, and the providing of nursing for, persons suffering from any sickness,
injury or infirmity and includes a maternity home." The definition of a maternity
home is "any premises used or intended to be used for the reception of pregnant
women or of women immediately after childbirth." Consequently such premises
require registration as a maternity home even though the women go to some other
place for the actual confinement.
The number of nursing homes on the register on 1st January, 1933, was 240.
During the year 1933, 20 homes were added, of which 2 had applied during 1932,
and 35 were removed on cancellation of the registration, leaving 225 on the register
on 31st December, 1933. With one exception cancellations were made at the request
of the persons registered and/or upon change of ownership. In respect of one
nursing home the registration of the two keepers was cancelled by order of the Council
on the ground tha??? the keepers were not fit persons to carry on a nursing home.
During the year the keeper of a nursing home was prosecuted for infringement)
of the Council's by-laws in respect of the keeping of registers and receipt books.
Fines amounting to £10 were imposed, together with the payment of £5 5s. 0d.
costs.
There were 29 applications for registration during the year, of which, at the end
of the year, 9 had been withdrawn and 18 granted, 2 being still under consideration.
The general considerations taken into account by the Council in administering
the Act are fully described in the Annual Report for 1930 (Vol. III, Part I, pp. 53-54).
In 1933 the Council granted 112 exemptions from the provisions of the Nursing
Homes Registration Act, 1927, in respect of premises not conducted for profit. These
exemptions were for a period due to expire on 30th June, 1934, after which date the
exemption may be renewed at the discretion of the Council from year to year.
The homes have on the whole been satisfactorily conducted. Improvement
in the cleanliness, general orderliness and in the staff of homes has continued. Owing,
however, to financial stringency there is still a tendency to delay necessary re-decoration,
and in several cases the attention of keepers has been directed to this matter
with satisfactory results.
A number of the older homes have closed or have changed ownership. Upon
change of ownership the new owners were required to fulfil the requirements for a
"new" home.
Maternity
and childwelfare
work
by voluntary
associations.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Contributions (London) Scheme which was
made by the Minister of Health under section 101 (6) of the Local Government Act,
1929, and continued in force from 1st April, 1930, to 31st March, 1933, subject to
alterations made by the Minister of Health under section 131 (2) of that Act, fixed
the amounts of the grants to be paid by the Council to 54 maternity and childwelfare
associations. Similar grants are payable by the various metropolitan