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Notification was received intimating that artificial
feeding had been resorted to in 13 cases. In two
instances midwives gave notice that they had laid out
dead bodies, and on 25 occasions midwives notified that
they were liable to be sources of infection.
Domiciliary Midwifery Service.
The scheme under the Midwives Act, 1936 for the
provision of a domiciliary midwifery service is now in
full operation. The Council has appointed nine
midwives and arrangements have been entered into
with the Essex County Nursing Association and Salvation
Army Nurses, whereby the former body provides
seven midwives and the latter two. The district has
been divided into three areas. To the northern area,
that is the part of the district north of Wood Lane, four
Council and two Salvation Army midwives have been
allocated. The central area, which is bounded on the
north by Wood Lane and the South by the L.M.S.
Railway line, is served by the Essex County Nursing
Association, and five Council midwives practise in the
southern section.
The fees charged and general conditions of practice
are the same for both Council and Association midwives;
holidays, off duty times and booking arrangements
being the same for all midwives. The aim is to restrict
the number of cases to approximately 80 per midwife.
Each patient is visited until the 14th day and seven
evening visits are paid.
W ith regard to the Council midwives, these work
in pairs in order that they may relieve one another for
off-duty times, or on other occasions when, for any
reason, they are not available to answer calls. Midwives
also attend the Ante-Natal Clinics at which they