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A uniform charge of 5/- per case is made for the
conveyance of maternity cases by ambulance to any hospital
approved by the Medical Officer of Health.
MIDWIFERY SERVICE.
The Council's Midwives attended 96 cases in 1942
compared with 76 cases in 1941 and 96 and 87 in the two preceding
years.
HOME HELPS.
The Council has made arrangements for the supply of
Home Helps in necessitous cases and during the year 25 cases were
assisted in this way, compared with 28, 26, 18 and 31 in the
preceding 4 years.
In view of the fact that increasing difficulty has
been experienced in finding suitable persons to undertake this
work and particularly the temporary assistance made necessary by
the overlapping of cases, the Council appointed a second wholetime
Home Help during the year, in spite of which, however, on
several occasions further temporary assistance had to be arranged.
BIRTH CONTROL.
Cases in which advice on birth control or family
planning is considered desirable on medical grounds by the
doctors at the Clinics, are referred to the Croydon Mothers' and
Infants' Welfare Association Clinic in Croydon.
An annual grant is made by the Council in return for
which any necessitous residents so referred are provided with
advice, etc., at reduced charges.
HEALTH VISITATION.
Since July 1959, the Council has employed four Health
Visitors, who work under the supervision of the Medical Officer
of Health.
During the year 7,924 visits were paid by the Health
Visitors. This was an increase of 56 over 1941 but still
more than 1,000 less than 1940, owing to the large number of
Diphtheria Immunisation sessions and other fixed appointments at
which the Health Visitors had to be present.
The great increase in the number of births was
evidenced by the number of primary visits to babies which
monopolised the attention of the Health Visitors. The number
of these primary visits in 1942 was no less than 777, this being
290 more than in the previous year. Of the total births
registered 91% were visited and on an average 2¼ visits were
paid to each child under the age of one year, this being slightly
less than the average of 3 visits per child paid In 1941.
Visits paid to all other classes of cases, except cases
of Measles, were reduced.
Obviously it is undesirable that the visits being paid
to older children and infectious disease cases should have to
be sacrificed in this way for a long period and attention is
being given to the matter during the current year with a view to
relieving the Health Visitors from a number of their fixed
appointments by the employment of civil defence personnel. This
policy may have to be extended further if the present high
birth rate continues.
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES.
The six Infant Welfare Centres which have been
established by the Council were held as in the previous year.
The year 1942 saw a further recovery in attendance,
there being an increase of 131 new cases with a total of 848
new cases.