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110
III—The Council's Midwives
Figure III shows the average case-load for each year and the variation in the
number of midwives employed annually from 1938 to 1948.
Gallantry
during
air-raids
The devotion to duty and the gallantry of the midwives during the heavy airraids,
particularly in September, 1940, and the V.l and V.2 missile attacks of 1944
and 1945, has already been mentioned. Some of their homes were demolished and
many more were severely damaged. Fortunately there was only one serious casualty
among the midwives.
Mention must also be made of the good work done by the midwives who were
lent to provincial authorities. A number of school nursing sisters took short
refresher courses in midwifery and went with them. Many of the midwives had to
organise and run emergency Maternity Homes for evacuated women, very often
under the most difficult circumstances.
Relief
A system of relief has been built up, which gives every midwife a weekly period
of rest and off-duty time. The midwives work in groups and relieve each other for
off-duty periods and during annual and other leave. Additional relief is obtained if
necessary from the district nursing association, and/or by the employment of
temporary staff.
Accommodation
The domiciliary midwife has always been required to reside in a locality and in
premises approved by the Council, and, if necessary, to remove to other premises.
If she could find suitable premises herself, she practised from them. It has, however,
been increasingly difficult for the midwife herself to find accommodation suitable for
her practice both in size and situation, and from the commencement of the service
the Council, as housing authority, helped in individual cases of difficulty. Midwives
in Council's properties paid the normal rent plus 2s. 6d. a week. The Midwives'
Salaries (Rushcliffe) Committee in 1943 recommended that local authorities should
provide accommodation, for which a flat rate of £26 a year for unfurnished premises
should be paid by the midwife. This policy was endorsed by the Ministry of Health
in circulars 96/46 and 98/46 and was adopted by the Council in 1946. Progress in
the accommodation of midwives is shown in the appended table :—
Dale No. of premises No. of midwives
provided by the Council accommodated
31-12-45 5 9
31-12-46 38 48
31-12-47 61 70
31-12-48 66 74
Furniture
To give further help to midwives in establishing their homes, the Council agreed
in 1942 to supply them, if they wished, with furniture on loan for which a monthly
charge was made.
Equipment,
uniform and
drugs
It has also been the Council's policy to supply all equipment, uniform and drugs
needed by its midwives. A new uniform to conform with the style approved by the
Central Midwives' Board as a national uniform for midwives will be introduced when
stocks are available. A midwife is also supplied, for free issue to her patients, with
sterile maternity outfits, containing accouchement sheets and dressings for the
confinement.
Analgesia
The use of gas and air analgesia by the Council s midwives began in June, 1946.
The apparatus is not issued to midwives, but is held at selected ambulance stations
throughout the County and delivered by ambulance to the patient's house on
request from the midwife. The midwife visits the patient when summoned and then
telephones for the apparatus, which arrives within a few minutes. The number of
midwives qualified to administer analgesia was small in the first place and, owing to
pressure of work, it was extremely difficult to release them to take the necessary
training. In consequence the progress in the use of analgesia was slow, but. with