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50
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
As originally planned early in 1906 the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme in
St. Marylebone consisted of voluntary and official elements. Of the voluntary
elements, to the nature of which reference is made later, those for which the St.
Marylebone Health Society have been responsible have for many years bulked
largest, and inhabitants of the Borough are greatly indebted to this body and its
workers for what they have done in relation to maternity and child welfare.
That the Society might continue indefinitely to participate largely in the
scheme, staffing and nursing centres and clinics in various parts of the Borough,
was more or less generally accepted, and year by year provision was made for
making grants to the Society for the purpose. Early in 1935, however, largely as
a result of difficulties in connection with accommodation for centres, the Society
decided that the time had arrived when it would be sufficient to confine themselves
to the provision and managment of day nurseries, and on the 1st April, 1935, all
their other responsibilities, so far as maternity and child welfare are concerned,
were transferrd by them to and were taken over by the Borough Council. The
following note extracted from a report on the general position is interesting
historically as indicating the lines suggested as suitable to be followed, and that in
fact eventually were adopted by the Borough Council.
"The situation created by the decision of the St. Marylebone Health Society to
limit their activities in relation to maternity and child welfare to the provision and
management of day nurseries and to leave the performance of all other works
to the Borough Council, though it possesses advantages, permitting the re-arangement
and re-casting of the scheme as a whole, is not free from difficulties. These
exist perhaps more particularly in relation to the course to be adopted at present
and pending the final handing over by the Society and the provision of all the
machinery, equipment, etc., necessary for carrying on the re-organised scheme.
That the Borough Council must accept responsibility for the work is inevitable;
it is the body required by law to act as the maternity and child welfare authority
and to provide and operate a scheme. Being a municipal authority and directly
responsible for the details of a scheme and its conduct, much more, it may be
taken, will be expected of the Council by the Ministry of Health."
"The Scheme as at Present Constituted.—So far as centres are concerned, the
composition of the scheme as it exists at present and the method' of its operation
have been described regularly in my annual reports and elsewhere. Actually there
are in operation, at the moment, eight centres in the Borough. Of these the
Health Society is fully responsible for three:—
(1) The North Marylebone School of Mothercraft, 14, Salisbury Street,
(2) 24 Hill Road, and
(3) 113 Marylebone Road.
"The Salisbury Street centre is the largest of the three and occupies the site
given by Capt. Portman. At it are provided, in addition to the usual infant
welfare clinics, ante-natal and toddlers' clinics, such things as massage and light
clinics and classes of various sorts. In addition, there is accommodation for a
dental clinic and minor ailment treatment centre. For the conduct of the clinics
and the work in connection with them there is a staff of part-time doctors receiving
one guinea and a half per session, a part-time health visitor receiving £2 15s. Od.
per week for 3½ days' service, two midwives who receive an honorarium of 5/per
session and a voluntary worker who receives 5/- per week towards fares.
These payments are made by the Health Society, other paid workers being paid by
the Council. The staffing of the dental clinic and minor ailment treatment centre
is in the hands of the London County Council and the Paddington and St.
Marylebone District Nursing Association. At the Hill Road centre there is one
part-time Doctor who receives one and a half guineas per session and a part-time
health visitor receiving £2 15s. 0d. per week for 31 days' service. There are two
sessions per week. At 113 Marvlebone Road there are two clinics per week also,
the only official paid by the Society being the doctor who receives the usual fee of
one guinea and a half per session. As the Committee is aware, 113 Marylebone
Road is the property of the Council, the Society paying an inclusive rent of £20
per annum for the accommodation provided,"