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Health Service Act, 1946, continued to provide treatment for mothers and babies
experiencing breast.feeding difficulties, and for babies with dietetic upsets. Comparative
figures are :—
Mothers
1953
1954
67
62
Accompanied Unaccompanied
infants infants
73 75
66 72
Clinics
Exchange of
medical
officers
Voluntary
organisations
Family
planning
Similar non.residential facilities were continued at the North Islington Infant Welfare
Centre, another voluntary organisation providing services on behalf of the Council
under Section 22. Attendances totalled 837 compared with 994 in 1953.
The tables on pages 58, 59 and 60 show attendances at sessions of various types held at
maternity and child welfare centres. An average of 300 sessions a week were being
conducted at the end of the year by medical officers employed on a sessional basis.
Reciprocal arrangements were continued with certain teaching and other hospitals,
under which assistant medical officers employed by the Council obtained further
experience in the paediatric departments of the hospitals, and hospital registrars worked
at the Council's welfare centres.
Maternity and child welfare services were provided by 17 voluntary organisations
who entered into agreements with the Council in accordance with Section 22 of
the National Health Service Act, 1946. In addition, child welfare centres were maintained
on behalf of the Council by the medical schools of four teaching hospitals acting
as voluntary organisations and grant.aided by the Council.
Family planning sessions totalling seven a week were provided by the Council for
advising women for whom further pregnancy would be detrimental to health. Where
no such facilities were provided by the Council the services of the Family Planning
Association were used, a per capita payment being made to the Association. 877 women
were referred to the Association during 1954 compared with 978 in 1953. At the end
of the year 34 weekly sessions were being held by the Association, some in the
Council's centres, where accommodation was made available free of charge.
Child welfare
As will be seen from the table below attendances at child welfare centres in the first
year of life reached 86 per cent., the highest figure yet recorded.
Those infants who attend in their first year, do so about 14 times. Thereafter attendances
tend to fall off rapidly but all mothers are encouraged to bring their children to
the child welfare clinics or toddlers' clinics and special invitation cards to the latter
are sent on birthday anniversaries. It has been found that rather less than one in five
children who attend in response to these invitations are referred to family doctors or
hospital to be treated for ailments which the parents might not otherwise have
recognised.
Year
Attendances
Percentage of
infants attending
a centre
at least once
in the first
year of life
Clinics at
end of
year
{including
toddlers)
Session*
per
month
Under I year
Over1 year
Special
toddlers
First Total First Total
1949 165 1,784 48,489 683,089 6,641 282,202 35,500 84
1950 169 1,815 43,916 649,983 5,496 245,484 41,817 79
1951 169 1,893 45,534 626,164 4,540 235,942 43,145 82
1952 169 1,925 44,452 653,759 4,147 229,134 43,976 84
1953 174 1,901 43,969 615,530 4,671 213,976 42,576 85
1954 175 1,927 44,061 614,369 4,653 211,634 42,683 86
Mental
health in the
maternity
and child
welfare
services
The study group of medical officers and health visitors under the chairmanship of
Dr. John Bowlby, of the Tavistock Clinic, completed their investigation into the
60