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fundamentally a continuous period in a woman's life and should
be treated as such by a continuity of medical and nursing supervision.
For the existing continuity to be preserved under the
National Health Service Act will mean a close and understanding,
co-operation between Local Health Authorities, Regional
Hospital Boards and Local Executive Councils. It is to be
fervently wished that this is attained, otherwise the efforts in
Croydon, during the past 17 years, to weld the service as one
comprehensive and consolidated whole, will have been largely
wasted.
During the year 611 sessions of the Ante-Natal Clinic were
held, at which 20,910 attendances were made, of which 3,785 were
made by new cases.
At the Post-Natal Gynaecological Clinic 101 sessions were
held, at which 4,460 individual patients were seen, of whom 2,173
were post-natal cases, and 1,151 gynaecological cases. Among
the post-natal cases followed up, in only one case was health
seriously impaired as a consequence of labour. In 95.5 per cent,
there was no impairment, whilst in the remainder there was some
slight impairment.
Attendances at Infant Welfare Centres again showed a substantial
increase from 78,122 in 1946 to 87,806 in 1947. This
increase led to further overcrowding at most of the Centres. The
establishment of new housing estates which are inhabited very
largely by young couples, will necessitate the establishment in
the near future of further Centres in order to relieve congestion at
some of the existing Centres, and also to provide Centre facilities
within reasonable distance of the mothers' homes. There is no
need now to emphasise the value of infant welfare consultation.
The practice has become established firmly in the mind of the
mothers, and many attend with their baby at their nearest Centre
as soon as they are well enough after confinement to do so, and
sometimes even before the health visitor has had time to visit the
home.
The following summary illustrates the magnitude of the work
covered by the 19 Centres, of which 2 are Municipal and the rest
administered and provided by the Croydon Mothers' and Infants'