London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

London County Council 1960

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY
The duty to provide adequate domiciliary midwifery service is discharged through the
Council's own midwives and those employed by district nursing associations and hospitals.

Table: Table (i )—StaffDistrict midwives employed by

Table (i )—Staff

District midwives employed by

19561957195819591960
The Council9287878994
District Nursing Associations (including supervisory staff)4644484546
Hospitals4439404643
182170175180183

Table: Table (ii)— Domiciliary confinements attended

Table (ii)— Domiciliary confinements attended

19561957195819591960
Doctor presentDoctor not presentDoctor presentDoctor not presentDoctor presentDoctor not presentDoctor presentDoctor not presentDoctor presentDoctor not present
No.%No.%
(a) Doctor not booked
L.C.C.1933,5001723,3252012,8992322,7611781.62,19720.1
D.N.A.681,790681,624751,577581,360470.41,19310.9
Hospital district251,944291,711231,693411,574——
2867,2342696,6602996,1693315,6952252.03,39031.0
7,5206,9296,4686,0263,61533.0
(A) Doctor booked
L.C.C.8471,2939961,5481,1351,9661,3402,4051,56314.32,84826.0
D.N.A.1341971522941823891945052802.66926.3
Hospital district103148681961442251323132021.81,74516.0
1,0841,6381,2162,0381,4612,5801,6663,2232,04518.75,28548.3
2,7223,2544,0414,8897,33067.0
10,24210,18310,50910,91510,945100.0

Text

Copy text to clipboard

All hospital district cases are now shown as 'doctor booked', because all such cases are ante-natally under
the direct care of a hospital doctor and medical aid during labour and the puerperium is available to them on
call to the hospital.
The difference in recording only partially accounts for the marked increase in the number
of home confinements in which a doctor was booked for maternity medical services. The
total increase was from 4,889 (45 per cent.) in 1959 to 7,330 (67 per cent.) in 1960, while the
corresponding figures for 1956 were 2,722 (27 per cent.). Taking only those cases attended
by London County Council and District Nursing Association midwives, the increase was
from 4,444 (51 per cent.) in 1959 to 5,383 (60 per cent.) in 1960.

Table: Table (iii)

Table (iii)

19561957195819591960
Premature babies:
Number509501482555517
Per cent. of live births5.05.04.65.14.7
Stillbirths:
Number90878910079
Per 1,000 total births8.88.58.49.27.2

Text

Copy text to clipboard

The corresponding rates for domiciliary confinements for England and Wales in the
year 1959 (the latest available) were for prematurity, 4.3 per cent., and for stillbirths,
9.9 per 1,000 total births.
65
E