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50
work of their midwives in Barking. This agreement is
now superseded by a further one made pursuant to the
Midwives Act, 1936, which agreement came into
operation on 1/10/38. A payment of £114 12s. 6d.
was made to the Hospital on account of their district
midwifery work during the nine months ended
30/9/38-
The year 1938 has seen steady and slow progress
in the development of the midwifery service in
Barking. I think the Council can reasonably hold the
opinion that these developments have been on sound
lines. My readers are asked to refer to the general
remarks I made on pages 42 and 43 of my last
year's Report, in which I pointed out that so far as
midwives directly under the control of the Council are
concerned they had commenced their work, and that
so far as voluntary bodies, to wit, the Salvation Army
and the Plaistow Maternity Hospital and District
Nurses' Home were concerned negotiations were still
pending at the end of 1937. During 1938 these
negotiations have been concluded and both of these
organisations' nurses are an integral part of the Barking
scheme. The system for the collection of fees is entirely
in the hands of the Council.
During the year there have been two or three conferences
among the midwives and between the midwives
and the health visitors, at which many of the
minor difficulties which are bound to be encountered
at the inception of such a service have been discussed
and straightened out. Particular care has been taken
by the Corporation in co-ordination to avoid overlapping
of the midwives and the health visitors in their
visits to the homes of expectant mothers.
(d) Upney Hospital.—The admissions to the
Maternity Home during 1938 numbered 596 of
which 92 were admitted for ante-natal treatment.