View report page

The preceding table gives details of the child welfare clinics provided and of attendances
recorded during the year and comparable figures for the previous four years. The
percentage of infants who are brought to a centre at least once in the first year of life
has remained constant at 86 for the past three years. Cards are sent to parents on children's
birthday anniversaries inviting them to sessions especially for toddlers.
Mental health
education in
the maternity
and child
welfare
service
A departmental committee was set up in 1955 to advise on general development or
mental health education in the field of maternity and child welfare. The committee has
received reports from the divisional medical officers on the work of case conference
groups which have now been established in Divisions 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9. Doctors and
health visitors from two groups met the committee for discussion on the progress of
their training. Through the co-operation of hospital authorities each case conference
group is led by a child psychiatrist, and has developed in its own way under his guidance,
within the framework of the general scheme. Medical officers have been for the most
part permanent members of their groups but there have been frequent changes in health
visitors—but the groups have continued to work as coherent units. Training groups
have had to be integrated into the general pattern of the work of the divisions. This has
been facilitated in at least two divisions by the inclusion in the group of a senior member
of the divisional medical staff who has taken an active part in assisting in the administrative
problems which inevitably arise.
After two years' experience none of the groups is yet ready to work without the
constant support of the psychiatrist and further expansion can come only through the
establishment of additional groups.
A course of advanced training in the study of parent-child relationships has been
given at the Tavistock clinic for medical officers who have had experience of work in
case conference groups.
Three divisions have held broad educational courses to which a wide range of staff
from the Public Health and Children's Departments was invited. These courses consisted
of 2-4 sessions, and took the form of discussion groups.
Maternity
services
A summary is given below of the written evidence, which was submitted to the
Departmental Committee of Enquiry into the Maternity Services (Cranbrook). Supplementary
oral evidence was given on particular points :
(i) Although any fixed proportion of hospital to domiciliary confinements is not
advocated, a reduction of the time that the mother stays in hospital is not favoured,
the need is emphasised for the hospitals to consult the local health authority whenever
admission to hospital on social grounds is under consideration.
(ii) The domiciliary midwifery service should remain the responsibility of the
local health authorities.
(iii) Ante-natal clinics, including mothercraft and health education, should
remain the responsibility of the local health authorities and ante-natal care, including
interim ante-natal care of women booked for hospital confinements, should be
undertaken at the local health authority clinic.
(iv) Consideration should be given to the possibility of every woman who is
to have a domiciliary confinement booking a general practitioner obstetrician to
provide her with maternity medical services and the general practitioner obstetrician
so booked should be encouraged to use the local health authority clinic.
(v) There should be a stricter standard for admission to the general practitioner
obstetrician list and every general practitioner obstetrician should have as a deputy
another general practitioner obstetrician.
(vi) More use should be made of the local health authority clinics for clinical
teaching purposes.
59