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84
Notification was received intimating that artificial
feeding had been resorted to in 19 eases. In one instance
a midwife gave notice that she had laid out a dead body,
and on 59 occasions midwives notified that they were
liable to be sources of infection.
Midwives Act, 1936, Section 6.
An order of the Minister of Health putting the above
Section into force was made and became effective on the
1st November, 1938. This Section prohibits the attendance
of persons at confinements for gain, who have not
certain qualifications as prescribed by the Act. The
Minister only deems it expedient to put this Section into
force in an area where he is satisfied that an adequate
domiciliary midwifery service is in being.
Domiciliary Midwifery Service.
The provision of a domiciliary midwifery service
became operative early in the year ; 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.
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.