View report page

79
respiratory difficulty. The early ambulation of patients
after delivery has shown good results and most mothers
easily return to normal routine by the tenth day of the
puerperium. In accordance with the 1960 rules of the
Central Midwives Board, the care of those mothers who
progress normally is now handed on to Health Visitors
after ten days' nursing.
Following the recommendations of the Cranbrook Maternity
Services Committee a Maternity Liaison Committee
based on Perivale Maternity Hospital held an inaugural
meeting in April. Matters of mutual interest to the three
branches of The Midwifery Service were discussed. in
particular the criteria for hospital booking and methods
of exchange of information. This resulted in the introduction
of a co-operation card on which both the doctor
and the midwife report findings at examinations made. The
card is kept by the patient so that it is available at
any time and in particular when labour starts. In addition,
local clinical meetings to which midwives and general
practitioner obstetricians are invited have been introduced
and the one held in 1960 was interesting and
instructive.
Applications for the services of a midwife should be
made through a Maternity and Child Welfare Clinic.
HOME HELP SERVICE.
The Home Help Service provides domestic help in time
of illness. All normal household duties, including shopping.
cooking. washing, cleaning. and looking after
children are undertaken. There is an equivalent of 126
full-time home helps in Ealing,. At the end of the year
there were over 867 cases receiving help. The order of
priority is acute sick. maternity cases. tuberculosis and
chronic sick and aged. Nevertheless, over 84% of those
helped were old people. Payment is based on the patient's
resources and ranges from no charge to 4/- per hour. The
object of the service is to supplement assistance available
from relatives etc., and to tide patients over in
emergency rather than supply permanent domestic help.
During the year the night service was continued. Attendance
is from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and the duties of the
helper consist of sitting with and giving general care to
the patient. This has proved most valuable.
Applications for the services of either a day or
night home help should be made. accompanied by a medical