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48
teaching hospitals and three of the metropolitan regional hospital boards to
determine the future organisation and administration of (a) infant welfare and
allied services, (b) health visiting, and (c) medical ante-natal care of women booked
for confinement at home. These negotiations were still proceeding at the end of
the year.
Where a medical school decides to assume responsibility for the provision of
services as the agent of the Council, it is proposed that the Council's financial
assistance shall be generous (up to 90 per cent, of approved net expenditure on the
services) and that, subject to safeguarding the interests of the Council and of the
people for whose welfare it is responsible, the special requirements of the teaching
hospital will be borne in mind, e.g., in such matters as the appointment of medical
staff acceptable to the medical school.
The Minister has authorised the Council to pay those hospitals which were
formerly given grants by the metropolitan borough councils a sum based on the
former grant in so far as it related to services for which the Council is now
responsible, such payment to be in respect of the period from 5th July, 1948, until
the new administrative arrangements come into operation, or until 30th June, 1950,
whichever date be the earlier.
Dental Care
Details of the priority services for expectant and nursing mothers and babies
will be found on page 105 in the report of the Council's Chief Dental Surgeon.
Welfare Foods, Drugs, etc.
The list of welfare foods, nutrients, drugs and medical requisites recommended
by a special departmental committee for use in the Council's maternity and child
welfare centres and day nurseries has been reviewed from time to time during the
year and suggestions received, mainly from the local officers actually prescribing the
items have been considered. Further reviews will be undertaken periodically, but
there are indications that the present list is proving satisfactory. Special foods and
nutrients which are not on the approved list may be supplied for individual cases
at the discretion of the divisional medical officers.
Sunday Cinema Grants
It was possible for allocations to be made from the contributions received by
the Council from Sunday cinematograph entertainments for the provision of
amenities in the maternity and child welfare centres and day nurseries, the cost of
which cannot be defrayed out of public funds — e.g., Christmas parties, seaside and
country excursions, etc. The moneys allocated to each establishment were
administered by a voluntary committee set up for the purpose, the divisional
administrative officers being responsible for the accounting arrangements. These
extra amenities were greatly appreciated by the children and their mothers and it
is hoped that similar allocations will be forthcoming in future years for this purpose.
Marriage Guidance
Following the publication of the report of the Departmental Committee on
Marriage Guidance set up by the Secretary of State for Home Affairs (the " Harris
Report " — Cmd. 7566), application to the Council for financial assistance in this
field was made by the London Marriage Guidance Council, the Catholic Marriage
Advisory Council and the Family Discussion Bureaux organisation of the Family
Welfare Association. Representatives of all three bodies have been seen and the
appropriate committee of the Council is considering whether such assistance
should be given and, if so, to what extent,