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Maternity and Child Welfare. 53
Arrangements for the Care of the Mother.
1. The Supervision of Mid-wives.—In the Annual
Report for 1919 remarks were made on the anomolous
position in which the Borough Council was placed by
the legislature putting the supervision of the midwives,
who form part of the Maternity and Child Welfare
Scheme of any district, entirely under the supervision
of the County Council without any power of delegation.
Fortunately, the need for the supervision of midwives
in Ealing is not so great as it is in large industrial centres,
for the great majority of births are attended by doctors
who take responsibility for the cases. Midwives may be
present, but the responsibility is taken off their shoulders.
As the majority of confinements are attended by
doctors, it naturally follows that few midwives find the
opportunity of gaining a livelihood in the district.
There are only nine registered as practising,' and all
hold certificates of training. All co-operate in a splendid
manner with the Health Visiting Staff, and a good feeling
exists between them,
The Health Visitors visited 984 of the 1,465 births
notified. As those not visited were in the best class
of houses in the district, it may be presumed that
doctors attended at the confinement in all of them.
Of those visited by the Health Visitors it was found that •
only 217 were attended by midwives alone, 67 were
attended by doctors and midwives, and 580 had doctors
and untrained women. Thus out of 1,465, 217, or 15
per cent., were attended by midwives alone—a very
small percentage compared with other districts.
2. Visiting of Expectant Mothers.—The Health
Visitors made 159 visits to expectant mothers. Of these
visits, 89 were first visits, 38 second visits, 15 third