View report page

The number of births in the general hospitals fell from 19,328 in 1939 to 14,439
in 1940.
Maternity
The number of maternity beds available was 614 at the beginning of the year
and was increased owing to demand until 801 were available in September. The
onset of bombing was followed by a marked fall in the number of women seeking
admission and some 480 beds were reserved for maternity cases for the remainder of
the year.
The maternal mortality rate in hospital was 2.81 per 1,000, compared with
2.84 per 1,000 in 1939.
During the year, 46,152 persons were seen by the district medical service, while
59,379 persons were seen in 1939. The district nursing service visited 5,427 persons
and made 215,882 visits, compared with 3,447 persons visited and 225,678 visits
made in 1939.
District
medical
service
The arrangements with Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton (Ministry of
Pensions), for the supply and repair of artificial limbs for Council cases, and the
"following up" of patients at this hospital have been continued. During the year
153 applications from various sources were dealt with, a reduction on the number
of 265 for the previous year.
f Supply and
, repair of
artificial
* limbs
Special hospitals
The year 1940 saw the taking into use under the Emergency Hospital Scheme
of the accommodation at the special hospitals which, in most of the hospitals, had
been re-allocated to meet the needs created by the war and also to admit the special
classes of civilian sick for which they were established, e.g., fever and tuberculosis.
The main problem was one of utilising the reduced accommodation for civilian sick,
while at the same time keeping a reserve of beds to meet any eventuality which might
arise as the result of a change in the character of the war.
The accommodation set aside for the reception of casualties was not fully
utilised as the number of cases fell well below the number anticipated. It was,
therefore, possible when pressure was put on the reduced number of beds for
tuberculosis and fever cases to supplement these by taking over beds earmarked for
casualty cases; and, following this principle, three tuberculosis hospitals were
released from providing any beds under the Emergency Hospital Scheme.
Owing to the threat of invasion, two hospitals and one convalescent hospital
were closed during the year. The loss of beds due to war conditions was offset
largely by utilising wards closed at the beginning of the war when an attempt was
made to reduce the population of hospitals.
Throughout the year all demands for beds, both emergency and civilian, were
met. The main factors which enabled this to be done were:—
(a) The number of casualties falling below expectation.
(b) Reduced admissions to children's and fever hospitals following general
evacuation of children from London.
(c) Low incidence of infectious disease throughout the year.