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63
Payment to nursing associations for relief of the Council's midwives is to be
based on time given, calculated as follows :—
For any period not exceeding 12 hours 10s.
For any period exceeding 12 hours but not exceeding 24 hours 15s.
For any period exceeding 24 hours—
In respect of each complete day of 24 hours 15s.
In respect of part of a day not exceeding 12 hours 10s.
In respect of part of a day exceeding 12 hours 15s.
From these payments will be deducted (a) contributions received from parents
or liable relatives ; (b) grants made by the Council under the Maternity and Child
Welfare Contributions (London) Scheme in respect of district midwifery and maternity
nursing, and (c) grants or payments made by the City Corporation or Metropolitan
Borough Council in respect of domiciliary midwifery and maternity nursing.
Following the acceptance by the Minister of Health of the Council's proposals
it was possible, through the courtesy of the City Corporation and the Metropolitan
Borough Councils, to arrange conferences with the medical officers of health of each
of the five areas as a result of which a scheme was evolved for co-ordinating the
domiciliary midwifery service with the ante-natal, post-natal and social services
provided by the City Corporation and the Metropolitan Borough Councils.
The Metropolitan Counties Branch of the British Medical Association have
supplied to the midwives a list of practitioners who are prepared to render " medical
aid if called upon. Where a midwife's case receives ante-natal care from a
practitioner, arrangements have been made for a report on the ante-natal examination
to be furnished to the midwife.
Section 3 of the Act requires every authority employing midwives to fix a scale
of fees payable for their attendance as midwives and a scale of fees payable for their
attendance as maternity nurses. It also provides for the remission of part or the
whole of the fee in suitable cases.
The fees approved by the Council are as follows :—
For a first confinement £2.
For a subsequent confinement £1 10s.
For maternity nursing £1 10s.
For the purpose of deciding whether any part of the fee shall be in any case
remitted having regard to the circumstances of the patient or liable relatives,
standard rules for assessment have been approved.
All the voluntary organisations within the scheme have agreed to adopt the
same charges and rules of assessment as operate in the case of patients attended by
a directly-appointed municipal midwife.
Considerable publicity was given in the press to the Council's arrangements.
In addition, posters were displayed widely throughout London at the Council's
hospitals and other establishments and also, through the courtesy of the City Corporation
and Metropolitan Borough Councils, at the town halls, maternity and child
welfare centres, etc. Persons desiring further information were invited to obtain a
leaflet giving detailed particulars of the service provided in each area by applying at
any of the Council's hospitals or at the Borough Council establishments. A synopsis
of the scheme was also furnished to all general practitioners in London and their
attention was drawn to the facilities available under the scheme for obtaining the
services of maternity nurses.
Under the Act, practising midwives are given the option of relinquishing their
practice and, subject to certain conditions, are entitled to receive compensation.
This provision remains in force until 31st July, 1939. Up to 31st December, 1937,
compensation was authorised to 27 midwives who had voluntarily surrendered their
certificate of enrolment by the Central Midwives' Board and during the same period
16 were called upon by the Council to cease practising as they were deemed to be
incapable of efficiently performing their duties by reason of age or infirmity of mind
or body. Compensation amounting to £12,102 4s. has been authorised for payment
to the 43 midwives concerned.
Co-ordination
with
maternity
and child
welfare
services
Medical
practitioners
Fees
Inauguration
of the
scheme