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10. MIDWIFERY
In accordance with Section 23 of the National Health Service Act, the Council
provides a staff of 20 midwives to undertake home confinements and to care for those
mothers discharged early from hospital. The arrangement whereby this work is undertaken
by the Council's own midwives in Ealing and Southall, and by Queen Charlotte's
Hospital midwives in Acton, continued in 1967.
The Council is also the supervising authority under the Midwives Act, 1951, and
as such is responsible for the supervision of all midwives practising in the borough,
including those working in hospital.
11 of the Council's midwives are approved teachers and during the year 26
pupils were trained. These included the first 6 midwives from the Part II Midwifery
Training School at Perivale Maternity Hospital to undertake their district training with
the Council. They are accommodated in the Pupil Midwives Hostel in Oldfield Lane,
Greenford, which was opened by Sir Alan Moncrieff, Chairman of the Central Midwives
Board, in June. This is a small detached house which was adapted to meet the needs
of the pupils since suitable accommodation became so difficult to find. It consists
of six bedsitting rooms, each with its own fitted unit containing wash basin and
wardrobe, a sitting/dining room, two bathrooms and a district utility room. A mid-day
meal is provided for pupils but they cater for themselves in the evening. The arrangements
have worked well and the accommodation has proved popular.

The increase in the proportion of hospital confinements is clearly shown, and is
in conformity with national trends.
The Council has an agreement with Perivale Maternity Hospital to provide nursing
care and home help service for mothers discharged from hospital after 48 hours.
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