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9. FAMILY PLANNING
Under Section 22 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, the Council has a duty
to make available family planning advice to women to whom a further pregnancy
would be detrimental to health. In Ealing this service is provided in two ways.
A birth control clinic is held twice a month at Cherington House Clinic to which
patients are referred on medical grounds by general practitioners, medical officers
and health visitors. The clinic is staffed by a doctor specially trained in family
planning methods and by a clinic nurse who instructs the patient. The mothers
who attend are taught a suitable method of birth control and are seen subsequently
every six months. Twenty patients are seen on an average at each session. During
the year, 45 new patients were seen and there was a total of 432 visits.
In addition, the Department works in conjunction with the Family Planning
Association, the Council's Principal Medical Officer in charge of Maternal and
Child Health being a co-opted member of the local branch of the Association.
Under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946, as amended by the
Local Government Act, 1958, the Council makes a grant of £100 to the local branch
of the Family Planning Association, and under the provisions of Section 63 of the
National Health Service Act, 1946, allows the use of health clinic premises by this
Society for four sessions per week without charge.
Finally, suitable patients are referred to the birth control clinics organized by the
Association and for these the Council pays standard fees according to the advice
given. Two patients were so referred in the year.
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