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County Council. Only one independent midwife was in practice
at the end of the year.
Until the appointed day Dagenham Corporation was the Local
Supervising Authority under the Midwives' Acts and the Medical
Officer of Health carried out the duties of inspection. Since that
day supervision of midwives has passed to the County Council and
by arrangement the detailed supervision is still carried out by the
Medical Officer of Health.
Institutional midwifery is afforded at Oldchurch Hospital and
the East End Maternity Hospital. Occasionally beds in other
hospitals are put at our disposal. The housing shortage has caused
an increased demand for maternity beds, and it is now only possible
to arrange for institution midwifery when the clinical condition
or the domestic circumstances so indicate.
HEALTH The duties of Health Visitors have been
VISITING. extended by the National Health Service
Act, 1946. Health Visitors are now
required to visit persons suffering from illness and to advise as
to measures necessary to prevent the spread of infection. Before
the provisions of this Act came into force the activities of Health
Visitors were chiefly confined to visiting expectant mothers and
children under school age in addition to attendances at Ante-Natal
and Infant Welfare Centres. There are at present nine Health
Visitors on the staff, of whom one is the Superintendent. The
total number of visits paid during the year was 16,716. A table
is included later in the report giving more details as to these visits.
HOME Home Nursing is carried out by nurses
NURSING. attached to the training home, York
House, Frizlands Lane. This was
formerly controlled by the Essex County Nursing Association, there
being a local sub-committee styled the Dagenham District Nursing
Association Sub-Committee. Since the appointed day this home
is managed by the Training Home Management Sub-Committee
which also controls the home at Leytonstone. There is a shortage
of district nurses which it is hoped will be remedied to some extent
when facilities for housing these nurses are available at York
House which is in process of being extended.
VACCINATION Vaccination is now carried out by general
AND practitioners who have agreed to perform
IMMUNISATION. this service. At the present time the
fee for this service is under consideration.
the only information with regard to the number of persons who
have been vaccinated is that provided by the general practitioners