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20
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The provision of a complete and efficient service to ensure
the welfare of the expectant and nursing mother and of the young
child up to the time of entry into school has always been the
earnest desire and aim of the Council since the duty of providing
this service was placed upon it by the Maternity and Child Welfare
Act, 1918.
To enable this work to be carried on in a satisfactory manner
it is essential that the buildings available should be suited to the
purpose. To ensure this the Council have established six Health
Centres, three being built specially for the purpose. The Ravenor
Park Centre was opened in 1930 and in recent years has had to
cope with the ever increasing population in Greenford. In 1933
the Council decided to provide a new Centre in North Greenford
and in 1934 a further decision was made to provide a smaller
or subsidiary Centre at Perivale. Various difficulties delayed
the building of these two new Centres but on the 24th August
they were brought into use for the first time. A description of
the new Centres is given on a subsequent page.
Alterations were also made durirg the year to two other
Centres, additional lavatory accommodation being provided at the
Mattock Lane Centre, which was opened as the first Centre in
1919, and certain structural alterations being made at Cherington
House, which was opened in 1927, to secure a more efficient
arrangement of rooms and floor levels on the first floor which
is devoted to maternity and child welfare work.
Of greater importance still was the commencement of the
building of the new Maternity Hospital at Perivale, where provision
will be made for the reception of double the number of cases that
can be accommodated in the present hospital at South Ealing
which has long proved inadequate to meet the demands for
admission. A further extension of the Council's Maternity Service
is to be brought about by the Midwives Act, 1936, which requires
the provision throughout the country of a salaried service of
midwives, either directly by or on behalf of the local authorities
at present responsible for the supervision of midwives. The
steps taken by the Council to provide this service are detailed
on page 34.