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(b) Infectious Disease.—The Chiswick and Ealing Hospitals
Committee have now a motor ambulance for the removal of infectious
cases at the Isolation Hospital. The acquisition of this in place
of the old horse-drawn vehicles facilitates the expeditious removal
of cases, particularly from Chiswick, Hanwell and Greenford.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The whole scheme of Maternity and Child Welfare, dealing
with the care and supervision of expectant and nursing mothers
and children under 5 years of age, as outlined in previous reports,
remains unaltered. In the work of the Centre the Health Visitors
receive most valuable assistance from Mrs. Cocker, Mrs. Girdlestone
and Mrs. Morris, all of whom are members of the Maternity and
Child Welfare Committee.
The permanent staff engaged in Maternity and Child Welfare
consists of Dr. J. W. Bell, Ante-Natal Consultant, Dr. Grace Banham,
Child Consultant, three Health Visitors and a Clerk, to whose
salaries the Ministry of Health contribute a proportion.
There were 1,250 births notified during the year, this number
including 46 still-births. In connexion with these births 808 first
visits and 1,530 return visits were made to the homes by the Health
Visitors. The visits to children between 12 months and 5 years
of age amounted to 2,862.
In the following summary is indicated the extent of
the work of the Health Visitors and of the Welfare Centre.
Two notable features in this summary are, firstly, the increase
in the number of ante-natal consultations which are increasing
year by year, and, secondly, the increasing number of mothers
who each year take advantage of the facilities offered at the
Maternity Hospital. As many as 180 maternity cases from Ealing
were admitted to the Chiswick and Ealing Maternity Hospital,
and the contributions made by the patients towards the cost of
their treatment amounted to £819 7s. 6d.