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33
in hospitals in Scotland who had been evacuated from hospitals in the London region.
The total number of patients evacuated from the Council's hospitals was about
8,700. The total number of staff transferred was about 1,600.
The emergency arrangements for maternity patients were to close the maternity
units at New End Hospital and St. Olave's Hospital and to reduce (on the instructions
of the Minister of Health) the accommodation in the remaining maternity units by
about 50 per cent> of their normal capacity. The staff thus released were transferred
to emergency maternity units in the " reception areas."
In the middle of September, H.M. Government decided that any further general
evacuation of hospital patients to the North should cease, but agreed that "trickle"
evacuation to hospitals administered by the Council could continue.
To assist in the matter of " devacuation" a "general reception unit" was.established
at the Western Hospital, Seagrave Road, Fulham, where patients on discharge
from the hospitals in the reception area were sent for collection by their
parents and friends.
Since this arrangement commenced in September, 1944, 200 patients were dealt
with in the reception unit up to the end of the year.
Throughout the year, seven hospitals remained closed, viz., Millfield Convalescent
Home, Littlehampton ; Norwood Hospital for Children ; Princess Mary's Convalescent
Hospital, Margate; St. Anne's Home, Heme Bay; St. Luke's Hospital,
Lowestoft; St. Margaret's Hospital, Kentish Town ; and the South-Eastern Hospital,
New Cross.
Of the twenty-five acute general hospitals, five were closed for considerable
periods during the year owing to serious bomb damage. Two remained closed
at the end of the year.
Acute
general
hospitals
At the beginning of the year, 8,584 patients remained under treatment. The
number rose to 9,003 on 19th January, 1944, and then fell steadily to 5,715 on 2nd
August, 1944. After evacuation of the Council's hospitals in August, 1944, the
number dropped to 3,405, the lowest figure for the year (on 23rd August, 1944).
When evacuation ceased, early in September, the numbers again rose steadily ; and
the number remaining at the end of the vear was 6.530.
The maternity services were greatly disturbed by the short but intense period
of enemy action in February, 1944, and from June to the end of the year by the
flying bomb and rocket campaign. Strong pressure was put on all expectant mothers
to evacuate to safer areas at the eighth month and to remain out of London as long
as possible after confinement.
The total number of births in the general hospitals during 1944 was 13,050
(live births, 12,612 ; stillbirths, 438), and there were 12,752 confinements. These
figures are lower than those for 1943 (13,872 and 13,666 respectively), and the number
of confinements is the lowest since 1934 (13,050).
These two years (1944 and 1934) therefore form an interesting comparison, and
it is noteworthy that the maternity death-rate has in the intervening period since
1934, fallen by more than half and the death-rate from sepsis alone, is less than onetenth
of what it was in 1934. This is a remarkable tribute to the efficiency of the
maternity service, because the disorganisation incidental to war and the uncertainty
of the women's plans naturally interfered greatly with the continuity of ante-natal
care. There are no records of the numbers of booked and emergency cases, respectively,
but it is certain that the proportion of cases with no ante-natal care at
all, or very intermittent care, has risen greatly. At one hospital where figures were
available, the number of unbooked cases rose from 10 per cent, of the total women
confined to over 40 per cent.
It was found that insistence on evacuation (which was only accepted reluctantly
even during the most dangerous period) deterred women from booking until they
Maternity
patients