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4. HEALTH CLINICS
The Council has 18 health clinics sited to be reasonably accessible to every
mother in the borough. At these clinics sessions are provided for ante-natal and postnatal
care, child welfare, immunisation and vaccination, family planning, dental care,
speech therapy, chiropody and physiotherapy. They are staffed by a medical officer,
a dental officer, health visitors and clinic nurses. In addition, they form the centre
from which is carried out the domiciliary work of the surrounding district, namely
home nursing, midwifery, and health visiting. Detailed accounts of the various services
provided at clinics are given either below or as part of other sections of this
report:-
Ante-natal and Post-natal Sessions
Two types of ante-natal sessions are held at clinics:-
1. Midwife's sessions, where a mother is regularly seen by the midwife who
will attend her at confinement. The usual practice is for a mother to alternate
a clinic attendance with a visit to her family doctor who is responsible
for her ante-natal care.
2. Medical Officer's sessions. The pattern today is generally towards antenatal
care being undertaken by family doctors and hospitals. Approximately
one in seven mothers, however, still attend the clinic for ante-natal care
by the Council's medical staff.
The figures for 1967 were as follows:-
825 mothers attended medical officers' sessions for their ante-natal care
683 mothers attended midwives' sessions for their ante-natal care
583 mothers attended ante-natal relaxation classes
318 mothers attended post-natal sessions
Child Welfare Sessions
At these sessions, teaching in infant feeding, general care and mothercraft is
given by the medical officer and the health visitor. The medical officer is responsible
for examining all the new babies and being concerned with feeding problems,
behaviour difficulties, and the follow-up of all children needing medical supervision.
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