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CLERICAL.
Miss R. S. Saunders (Senior Clerk).
Miss N. A. Eyres.
Miss H. P. Turton. (Left March, 1945).
Miss J. Blatter.
Mrs. V. Carter.
Miss K. Arnold (Commenced March, 1945).
Miss O. Cunningham (Commenced April, 1945).
In submitting the report of the Maternity and Child Welfare Department
for 1945, I am pleased to be able to report that notwithstanding the many difficulties
and problems which have been encountered, we have surmounted them
successfully and finished the year with a record of good service to the community.
The last three months of 1945 indicated the trend of the birth rate and proved
that 1946 would be a very busy period for the Midwifery Service and create many
serious problems.
Mrs. Neale, the Non-Medical Supervisor, left in September, 1945, and her
place was taken by Miss H. M. Bridge.
The Ante-Natal Clinics were well patronised and an increase in the number
of sessions is urgently required as soon as an adequate Medical Staff is appointed.
The Ante-Natal Clinics are under the supervision of the Non-Medical Supervisor
of Midwives with her Staff, and this gives an opportunity to the midwives of
obtaining first hand knowledge of the cases they will be attending for confinements.
The arrangements with the Hospital for the transfusion service to be available
to the women on the district has proved a very great boon and the results have
been excellent.
The Gas and Air Analgesia is gradually gaining more popularity and the
publicity given is showing its results.
On 31st August the Evacuation Scheme for expectant mothers which operated
during the war, officially ended, and Local Authorities were asked to accept
financial responsibility for their own cases. The arrangements with regard to
the admissions and discharges to and from Maternity Homes remained as usual.
The Council inaugurated the financial scheme, but when it was in operation the
Middlesex County Council took over the responsibility. The general arrangements,
however, are still carried out by the Department, as in the past.
The Home Help Scheme has not been easy to operate, owing to the shortage
of suitable labour, but it is an achievement to report that during the whole of the
war period the women of Edmonton have had the advantage of a service which,
by the end of 1945, showed every sign of gradually recruiting more women,
although it is slow progress.
I am very happy to state that the Maternal Mortality Rate is again very low,
viz.: 0.61 per 1,000 births, and there has been an absence of deaths from
puerperal infection.
I have to report that the four War-time Nurseries have given excellent
service and been very well patronised. The staffing of these establishments has
MATRONS—NURSERIES.
Fore Street h Miss M. W. Betteridge.
Hertford Road cj Mrs. I. Drummond.
Florence Road c Mrs. M. Vincent.
Silver Street c Mrs. Mundy (Left September, 1945).
h Mrs. Smith (Commenced September, 1945).
FOREWORD.
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