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demand for institutional confinement, the Council has
agreed to include a scheme for the enlargement of the
Home within the financial five-year programme of
capital expenditure required in 1938 by the Ministry
of Health.
(e) Ante-natal Clinics. Five ante-natal sessions
are held weekly and the sessions have averaged 15
attendances.
(f) Post-natal Clinic. The post-natal session at the
Maternity Home is for mothers confined there and others
and 260 attendances were made in its first full year of
working, 1938. Post-natal examinations are also made
at the ante-natal sessions at the other clinics and 16
attendances were made.
These totals represent a percentage of 19.3
against births notified; excluding mothers confined in
other institutions and by private doctors, who make
arrangements for post-natal examination, a percentage
of 38.5 is obtained.
The importance of these examinations and the
future ease of the mother is not yet fully realised by
the public, but as this is a new service, which will
continue to grow, there is no need for despondency.
(g) Home Helps. The need for this service is
shown by the fact that 21 applications were approved,
and 21 homes attended covering a period of 321 days in
1938, as compared with respective figures of 9, 9 and
126 in 1937.
(h) Dental Treatment. During the year a dental
scheme, provided and maintained by the Corporation for
nursing and expectant mothers, and children under the
age of five, was inaugurated.
The accommodation provided consists of three
rooms on the ground floor of the old Maternity Home,
315, Broadway, Bexleyheath, one as a waiting room,
another equipped as a dental surgery, and a small
recovery room for mouth cleansing. A part-time
dentist is engaged on a sessional basis and a health
visitor acts as Dental Attendant. Two weekly sessions
are held and nursing or expectant mothers, and children
under the age of 5 are referred as required by appointment
on account of need of treatment, and treatment is
provided, to secure dental fitness.
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