London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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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.
T able
| 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Council | 89 | 94 | 94 | 100 (+ 7 p.t.) | 107 (+ 12 p.t.) |
| District Nursing Associations* | 45 | 46 | 43 | 46 | 30 (+ 18 p.t.) |
| Hospitals* | 46 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 30 (+ lp.t.) |
| 180 | 183 | 177 | 190 (+ 7 p.t.) | 167 (+ 31 p.t.) | |
In addition, on 31 December 1963 there were 89 midwives employed in nursing homes
or voluntary hospitals, or working through nursing co-operations or independently.
T able (ii)—
| 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor present | Doctor not present | Doctor present | Doctor not present | Doctor present | Doctor not present | Doctor present | Doctor not present | Doctor present | Doctor not present | |
| (a) Doctor not booked | ||||||||||
| L.C.C. | 232 | 2,761 | 178 | 2,197 | 83 | 1,069 | 61 | 708 | 44 | 209 |
| D.N.A. | 58 | 1,360 | 47 | 1,193 | 39 | 716 | 9 | 359 | 11 | 111 |
| Hospital district | 41 | 1,574 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 331 | 5,695 | 225 | 3,390 | 122 | 1,785 | 70 | 1,067 | 55 | 320 | |
| 6,026 | 3,615 | 1,907 | 1,137 | 375 | ||||||
| L.C.C. | 1,340 | 2,405 | 1,563 | 2,848 | 2,237 | 3,759 | 2,608 | 4,238 | 2,696 | 4,501 |
| D.N.A. | 194 | 505 | 280 | 692 | 339 | 1,010 | 501 | 1,561 | 408 | 1,590 |
| Hospital district | 132 | 313 | 202 | 1,745 | 302 | 1,666 | 344 | 1,607 | 1,372 | |
| 1,666 | 3,223 | 2,045 | 5,285 | 2,878 | 6,435 | 3,453 | 7,406 | 3,531 | 7,463 | |
| 4,889 | 7,330 | 9,313 | 10,859 | 10,994 | ||||||
| Total | 10,915 | 10,945 | 11,220 | 11,996 | 11,369 | |||||
| (c) No. of institutional deliveries attended by mid-wives on discharge before the tenth day | 1,141 | 1,463 | 1,954 | 2,187 | 2,810 | |||||
Domiciliary confinements decreased by 627 from 1962 but institutional deliveries discharged
home before the tenth day showed an increase of 623. The figures of early
discharges include (i) cases sent into hospital during labour from the domiciliary midwifery
service on account of some abnormality and returned for nursing by a domiciliary midwife
(this has long been a normal practice); (ii) cases accepted after 48 hours in accordance with
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