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38
EALING AND BRENTFORD & CHISWICK
HOSPITALS COMMITTEE.
Town Kali,
Ealing, W.5.
15th June, 1947.
Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you the Annual Repor£ on the
two hospitals for the year 1946-47.
The national birth-rate continues to rise and! the number of
births in your district therefore continues to increase, and this is
well reflected in the statistics of the maternity hospital. Furthermore,
the Ministry of Health in May of this year, in order to ensure
the maximum useage of beds, advised that consequent on a recent
resolution of the Central Midwives Board, all patients could now
be discharged from maternity units on the tenth day instead of
on the fourteenth day.
/
This has naturally resulted in an increased number of patients
being admitted, and during the period under review a total of 1,191
patients have secured admission to Perivale Hospital, an increase of
25% as compared with the previous twelve months and an all time
record figure. Such a list of cases is of course exceptional and
could never have been contemplated for a hospital of 40 beds,
but it does emphasise the demand for institutional care of maternity
cases in the district.
The number of emergency cases admitted has also increased
and the fact that in 21 cases both the mother and baby were well,
on discharge from hospital, and in the remaining instance the
pregnancy proceeded normally after treatment in the hospital,
reflects great credit on the care and skill of the medical and nursing
staff.
A perusal of the case histories illustrates that most of the
known complications of labour and the puerperium have been
encountered during the year, with a nil maternal mortality, and
it is pleasing to note that it has also been possible to admit more
ante-natal cases for treatment, 130 patients as compared with 87
patients during 1945-46. This last is preventive work of the
highest order and enables many conditions to resolve before the
labour commences.
The number of patients treated at the Clayponds Hospital
while well within the available accommodation, has actually
increased this year by 30%.