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12
Doctors and Midwives were requested to include
information when notifying the births of premature babies, and
the hospitals asked to inform the Department before such babies
are discharged.
Arrangements were made for the ambulances to
carry special equipment and for a Health Visitor or Midwife to
accompany them in special cases; also for the services of
the Paediatrician at St. Helier Hospital to be available for
consultation when required.
Two special cots with thermostatically controlled
electric cradles and two sots of the special equipment required
for nursing premature babies were purchased by the Council
and made available for the use of residents, all Doctors and
Midwives being informed of these and other provisions made.
It was not until 1945 that all these facilities
were available.
Care of Illegitimate Infants
and their Mothers.
Special consideration was also given to the
problems of this group of babies and mothers, but with no
really satisfactory results, as the position is a much more
difficult one. For one thing the Public Health Department
receives no information regarding at least half of these cases
until the Registrar-General's returns are received.
Birth notifications do not mention the question
of legitimacy, while an appreciable proportion of these mothers
do not make known to the Health Visitors their ante-natal
condition, making their own arrangements for their confinements,
etc., frequently outside the District,to which they often do
not return.
Conferences have been held with the County
Council and adjoining authorities at which it has been
recognised that there has been a deficiency in the
accommodation for the short term residence of the increased
number of these mothers arising during the war and an almost
complete absence of long-stay accommodation. An attempt has
been made to increase the short stay accommodation but without
success to date.
The Health Visitors are all very alive to the
peculiar needs of these cases and give special attention to
such as they encounter, as a result of which it has not been
thought necessary or desirable to make any special appointment
for this work. The whole question will continue to receive
attention, however.
HOME HELPS.
Since 194-2 the Council has employed two wholetime
Home Helps and in addition has employed a number of
temporary Home Helps as and when required. During the
Winters 1943/4 and 1,944/5 voluntary assistance was also
organised to assist residents during time of sickness. Paid
assistance was provided during the year 1944 in 73 cases and
9 other bookings were cancelled owing to evacuation. These
numbers show an increase over 1943, when 56 cases were
assisted, compared with 25 in 1942 and a previous maximum of
35 in 1937. During the Autumn of 1944 a number of part-time
paid Home Helps were introduced to needy residents but no
financial assistance could be given in these cases, unless
they could be classified as Maternity or Child Welfare cases.
The demand was always far greater than the supply of Home Helps
who were not attracted by the irregular work and rate of pay,
apart from the arduous nature of the work.
The encouragement given by the issue of Ministry
of Health Circular No.179/44, dated 14th December, 1944, came
as a tonic and renewed efforts have been made tc develop a
useful and successful service.