View report page

12
CHILD LIFE PROTECTION.
The work of supervision of foster-mothers, carried out by the
Health Visitors who have all been appointed Child Protection
Visitors, is summarized in the following table:—
Number of children on the register at the beginning of the
year 70
(Number of fostermothers having care of the above
children, 61).
Number of children registered during the year 38
Number of children removed from register during year 71
Number of children on register at end of year 39
(Number of fostermothers having care of the above
children, 36).
Number of visits made by Health Visitors 363
MIDWIFERY SERVICE.
At the end of the year, 11 midwives were employed by the
Council in connection with the domiciliary midwifery service.
The cases attended by the midwives were as follows:—
Number of Confinements attended:—
(a) as midwife 406
(b) as maternity nurse 97
503
During the year the Council decided upon an alteration in
the charge for the services of the midwives. Formerly the fee for
the services of the midwives, whether engaged as a midwife or as
a maternity nurse with a doctor in charge of the case, was
£2. 10s. Od. In cases where the nurse was engaged without a
doctor and medical aid was necessary, the husband was then
required to meet the cost of the medical fees, either in whole or
in part. Now, the fee for the nurse engaged as a midwife has been
increased to £3, but this fee also covers the cost of any medical aid
which the nurse has to call in. Whenever necessary this fee can
be reduced in accordance with the family circumstances.
The shortage of candidates having made it difficuit to fill
vacancies in the midwifery staff, and the added shortage of
housing accommodation made it almost impossible to secure
midwives. To meet this situation the Council were asked to
provide housing accommodation for new midwives, as recommended
by the Midwives Salaries Committee and in this way
three midwives have been provided with suitable homes and the
staff made complete.
An alteration in the rules of the Central Midwives Board
regarding the qualifications of the second person present during the