London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional confinements | |||||||||
| L.C.C. hospitals | 21,037 | 19,243 | 13.975 | 6,885 | 12,230 | 13,645 | 12,739 | 12,375 | 21,375 |
| Borough Council maternity homes | 2,556 | 1,544 | 659 | 369 | 528 | 733 | 526 | 617 | 810 |
| Voluntary hospitals | 17,260 | 15,109 | 8,562 | 5,721 | 5,733 | 9,963 | 10,957 | 15,161 | 20,599 |
| Nursing homes | 1,447 | 1,556 | 866 | 497 | 1,594 | 2,585 | 1,910 | 2,447 | 3,140 |
| Total | 42,300 | 37,452 | 24,062 | 13,472 | 20,085 | 26,926 | 26,132 | 30,600 | 45,924 |
| Domiciliary confinements | |||||||||
| L.C.C. midwives | 3,373 | 5,381 | 6,924 | 3,570 | 6,137 | 6,747 | 5,924 | 6,867 | 11,639 |
| Borough Council midwives | 340 | 71 | 105 | 51 | 100 | 98 | 100 | 88 | 160 |
| Voluntary hospitals and voluntary organisations | 7,708 | 7,656 | 7,259 | 2,998 | 5,223 | 5,640 | 4,623 | 5,478 | 10,069 |
| Independent midwives | 4,517 | 2,230 | 614 | 230 | 407 | 357 | 218 | 179 | 277 |
| Total | 15,938 | 15,338 | 14,902 | 6,849 | 11,867 | 12,842 | 10,865 | 12,612 | 22,145 |
| Total number of confinements | 58,238 | 52,790 | 38,964 | 20,321 | 31,952 | 39,768 40,596 | 36,997 37,905 | 43,212 41,975 | 68,069 |
| Births (Registrar-General's figures) | 66,406 | 58,049 | 43,758 | 21,482 | 34,877 | 68,017 | |||
The substantial difference between the number of births used by the RegistrarGeneral
in calculating the birth-rate of London, and the number of confinements
is accounted for by the fact that no figures are available for the number of
confinements attended by doctors, and also for the large number of women whose
normal place of residence is outside London who come to London for their
confinement. Multiple births also cause some difference.
There was a substantial increase compared with 1945 in the total number of
confinements undertaken by the Council's domiciliary midwives.
Domiciliary
midwifery
service—
London
County
Council
midwives
The following are the figures for 1938, which was the first year of the Council's domiciliary midwifery service, and for the years 1945 and 1946:—
| Maternity nursing cases | Midwifery cases | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 449 | 2,924 | 3,373 |
| 1945 | 440 | 6,427 | 6,867 |
| 1946 | 805 | 10,834 | 11,639 |
The number of midwives employed at 31st December, 1946, was 148, compared
with 122 at the end of 1945. The average number of midwives employed throughout
the year (permanent and temporary) was 134, compared with 120 in 1945. In
addition, six part-time midwives were employed for periods ranging from 8 to 30 days.
The average number of confinements undertaken by each midwife, including
sick and holiday reliefs, was approximately 87. This figure is considerably higher
than that mentioned (66) in the Report of the Midwives Salaries Committee (Rushcliffe).
The weekly number of confinements rose throughout the year, and, at th<>
end of 1946, midwives were working at extreme pressure, the average for the last
three months being at the rate of 93 a year. Holidays and off-duty time equivalent
to those recommended by the Midwives Salaries Committee have, however, been
given without interruption to all midwives.
Ambulance cars for the transport of the midwives were supplied in emergency,
particularly for night work, and 19,624 miles were run on this service.