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
Beckenham 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Beckenham]
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(b) Nursing Mothers and Infants.
Supervision was carried out at the Infant Welfare Centres and by
visits to the homes made by the Health Visitors.
There were seven Infant Welfare Centres in the Borough and during
the period 9 sessions were held each week. A Medical Officer attended
each centre weekly. The situations and other particulars of the centres
appear in the Table of Local Clinic Services.
The work of the Centres up to 5th July is summarised in the
following table.
| Town Hall | Alexandra | Elmers End | Wickham | Coney Hall | Baths | Short-lands | Total | Total 1947 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Attendances | 2,516 | 3,126 | 3,238 | 2,882 | 1,319 | 2,353 | 1,334 | 16,768 | 33,328 |
| New Cases | 99 | 121 | 105 | 112 | 39 | 102 | 57 | 635 | 1,333 |
| Sessions Held | 27 | 27 | 51 | 51 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 232 | 460 |
| Aver. per Session | 93 | 116 | 63 | 57 | 51 | 90 | 56 | 75 | 72 |
| Doctors' Sessions | 27 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 176 | 354 |
| Cases seen by Doctors | 318 | 518 | 496 | 197 | 168 | 383 | 253 | 2,333 | 5,229 |
| Aver, per Session by Doctors | 12 | 21 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 14 |
The following figures show the attendances of children in age- groups.
| Year of Birth. | Attendances Made. |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 283 |
| 1944 | 576 |
| 1945 | 786 |
| 1946 | 2,763 |
| 1947 | 9,723 |
| 1948 | 2,637 |
| 16,768 |
Five Health Visitors were engaged in Home Visiting and at the
Infant Welfare Centres during the period. Particulars of the visits made
are shown in the following table.
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