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INTRODUCTION TO ANNUAL REPORT, 1939.
The Report for this year is somewhat restricted in scope.
Detailed reference to Services which remain the same as in previous
years have been omitted, and only such figures as are required for
statistical purposes have been included. This does not mean
that the careful keeping of records, which form the basis of all
reports, has been discontinued: it is desirable to avoid any break
in the continuity of records, such as that which occurred during
the years 1916—1918; such breaks lead to much valuable information
being permanently lost, and give rise at a later date to
much difficulty in carrying out the necessary periodical surveys
of the Health Services generally, and in assessing the values of any
particular procedure.
The annual statistics in the report are based on local figures
only as we have been advised that there will be considerable delay
in the receipt of the Registrar General's figures, and the necessary
alterations will have to be made when these figures arrive.
1. On the outbreak of war most of the ordinary activities of
the department were suspended for a short period, but the home
visiting of infants and the Welfare Centre sessions were never
completely interrupted. For one month the Welfare Centre sessions
were only held for the purpose of the sale of infant foods and the
supervision of special cases. At the end of that time the Centres
were transferred to the Aid Posts which had been protected, with
the exception of the Alexandra Centre, in which area it was not
possible to find another building. To avoid any large gatherings
of mothers and infants two sessions per week of one and a half
hours each at each Centre have been instituted, instead of the
previous arrangement of one weekly session of two hours: a
doctor attends at one session each week at every centre.
2. The Health Visitors were all attached to Aid Posts in the
first instance and put in a great deal of time in assisting with the
preparation and organisation of the posts. They now only do
" on call " duty at nights.
3. There is no doubt that a number of families left the Borough
during the early days of the war, but this has had no appreciable
effect on the amount of work at the Welfare Centres and Clinics.
4. The Specialists' Clinics were in abeyance up to the end of
December with the exception of the Ante-Natal and the Obstetric
Consultant's Clinics which were maintained. The Dental Clinic
re-opened in a modified form in the middle of September.
5. It was decided to close the Maternity Home at 80, Croydon
Road and on the 5th September all the patients were evacuated to
their homes and a domicilary midwifery service was instituted,
sixty-four cases being attended in their homes by Midwives from
the maternity home. The new Maternity Home was opened for
the reception of cases on the 25th December, and has now been
fully developed and is receiving on an average, fifty patients per
month.
6. It is very interesting to note that only six cases of infectious
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