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3. 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 post-natal care, child welfare, immunisation
and vaccination, cervical cytology, 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^ sessions. The pattern today is generally towards ante-natal care being
undertaken by family doctors and hospitals. Approximately one in five mothers, however,
still attend the clinic for ante-natal care by the Council's medical staff.
The figures for 1968 were as follows: -
789 mothers attended medical officers' sessions for their ante-natal care.
585 mothers attended midwives' sessions for their ante-natal care
648 mothers attended ante-natal relaxation classes.
227 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.
When children reach their first birthday, then and on subsequent birthdays until the age of five,
they are sent an attractively designed birthday card. This contains a request for the mother to bring
the child to the clinic for a "birthday check". By this means the medical officer is able to determine
the developmental progress of each child and to assess if there is any departure from normal.
Apart from routine work of this sort, other important screening procedures are carried out;-
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