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Other matters dealt with in the Act are—
(1) Appointment and terms of employment of mid wives by authorities
(2) Fees from patients for attendance of midwives employed by authorities.
(3) Compensation to midwives ceasing or required to cease practice.
(4) Prohibition of unqualified persons acting as maternity nurses for gain.
(5) Attendance of midwives at courses of instruction.
(6) Miscellaneous amendments of the Midwives Acts relating to—
(a) Conditions subject to which fees to medical practitioners are
payable;
(b) Qualifications of supervisors of midwives ;
(c) Fees for examinations and certificates of the Central Midwives
Board;
(d) Central Midwives Board's powers to frame rules—
(i) regulating the grant of diplomas in the teaching of midwifery ;
(ii) applying to proceedings before the Board for the removal of
the name of a midwife from the roll of midwives.
(e) Expenses incurred by an authority in taking proceedings.
Under section 1 (2) of the Act, the Council, as supervising authority for the
county of London, is required to submit its proposals to the Minister of Health,
and, before doing so, to consult—
(i) with all the voluntary organisations which, to the knowledge of the
authority, employ or are willing to employ domiciliary midwives in the area of
the authority; and
(ii) with such local organisation (if any) of registered medical practitioners
as appears to the authority effectively to represent the opinions of such practitioners
practising in that area on the questions to be considered in formulating
the proposals ; and
(iii) with such local organisation (if any) of midwives as appears to the
authority effectively to represent the opinions of midwives practising in that
area on the questions aforesaid ; and
(iv) with any association or committee which appears to the Council to
be representative of the Metropolitan Borough Councils.
The problem of formulating a comprehensive scheme for London under the
Act is one of unusual complexity owing to the multiplicity of the public and voluntary
agencies concerned in the provision of maternity services and of the ancillary
social services. At the end of the year the scheme was still in course of preparation.
Prior to the passing of the Act a complete review of these services was instituted,
and the results were published in May, 1936, in a report entitled " Maternity Services
of London."*
The contents of the report include:—
The various systems in London under which maternity cases are dealt with ; the
approximate numbers under each system ; domiciliary confinement (private doctor; private
midwife; salaried midwife; borough midwife ; extern department of voluntary, maternity
or general hospital; voluntary association for provision of midwives; medical student);
institutional confinement (voluntary maternity or general hospital; borough maternity
home; London County Council general hospital; private nursing home); provision for
special cases (tuberculous; venereal); provision for unmarried mothers; arrangements
for medical assistance for cases booked by private or salaried midwives; whole-time midwives
employed by voluntary hospitals, homes and nursing associations, and by the London
County Council; maternal mortality (statistics; factors in its prevention; extent to which
these factors occur among London maternal deaths; mortality rates in the east end and
west end of London); facilities for teaching midwifery to medical students; the midwifery
service in London County Council hospitals; ante-natal clinics of Metropolitan Borough
Councils ; abortions ; prevention of sepsis ; and the appendices were :—
I.—Nature of attendance at confinements during 1934. Information furnished by
Metropolitan Borough Councils.
II.—Provision of nursing for patients booked by doctors. Information furnished by
Metropolitan Borough Councils.
* Maternity Services of London (No. 3195). Price Is. May be purchased from P. S. King & Son,
Limited, 14, Great Smith Street, S.W.I.