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13
Towards the end of the year, two of the Maternity and Child
Welfare Centres, namely, St. Stephen's Road and Southbury Road,
were vacated by the A.R.P. and became once more fully available
for their normal purposes. It was not until the middle of 1940,
however, that Rosemary Avenue Clinic was vacated: in the meanwhile
the clinic was held at the hall of the Church of the Latter Day
Saints, 49, Lancaster Road. Lincoln Road Maternity and Child
Welfare Clinic is still occupied by the A.R.P. Casualty Services, but
Maternity and Child Welfare work still continues there, the two
services working side by side with no more than the expected amount
of discomfort to both services.
During this time trained nurses were being appointed to take
charge of the First Aid Posts, and as a result it became possible to
free the Health Visitors for their normal duties. They are, however,
all attached to First Aid Posts and render excellent services
there as additional trained nurses. In one case, one of your staff
remains in charge of a mobile unit and is carrying out her duties
there in conj unction with her welfare work and is giving satisfaction
in both directions. She also has the help of another Health Visitor.
The figures will show that midwifery work has been continuing
throughout the year on a scale no less than in 1938, and I consider
that great appreciation is due to the midwives for the way in which
they have carried out their work under black-out conditions.
'The question that is now foremost in our minds is, naturally,
what has been the effect of the war on ante-natal and nursing
mothers and children under the age of five years. This report deals
only with the year ending the 31st December, 1939, but I am satisfied
and I think you will agree that the statistics in this report will show
that during the whole of 1939 the health of the district was well
maintained and was, in fact, as satisfactory as in any previous year.
The partial closure of the centres at the outbreak of war caused
a considerable curtailment of their activities. It was immediately
followed by many demands from the public that they should be
opened at once for the purpose for which they were designed,
namely, Maternity and Child Welfare. Every step was made to
meet this demand, which was felt to be a public appreciation of
the valuable work of the clinics.
After the clinics were re-opened every attempt was made to keep
the numbers attending low to avoid a large congregation of persons
on the premises at any one time. This again was found to be difficult,
and even to-day, when this report is being written, the number of