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PERSONAL HEALTH
Care of Premature
Infants
Notifications were received of two hundred and sixty-four babies weighing
5½-1b. or less at birth. Of these twenty-three were domiciliary births. One
was admitted to hospital. The remaining twenty-two were cared for at home
by midwives and all survived.
Liaison with
General Practitioners
A close liaison between midwives and family doctors continued to be
maintained. At the end of the year eight midwives were attached to group
practices.
Portable Incubators
During the year portable incubators held at main ambulance depots were
used on 24 occasions to transport premature or sick babies to hospital.
Heat insulating swaddlers continued to be used by midwives as a standard
item of equipment in transporting premature and small babies to hospital.
Guthrie Test!
Domiciliary midwives continued to collect blood samples for the Guthrie
test for phenylketonuria from infants born at home and those born in
hospital who had been discharged early to their homes on or before the
sixth day after birth. Some repeat tests were also carried out by domiciliary
midwives.
Hospital ' Flying
Squad ' Service
There are two "Flying Squads" serving the borough, one based at North
Middlesex Hospital and the other at Ohase Farm Hospital. The squads,
each of which is in the charge of an obstetrician, provide a 24-hour
emergency service for women in labour. They answered fifteen emergency
calls during 1970.
Analgesia
Trichloroethylene inhalers, used by all domiciliary midwives, were regularly
tested in accordance with the rules of the Central Midwives' Board.
Notification of Intention
to Practise
Twenty-four domiciliary midwives employed by the borough council and 146
institutional midwives employed at hospitals notified their intention to
practise as midwives within the borough during 1970.
Disposal of Placentae
and Offensive
Dressings
Disposal points are conveniently situated throughout the borough for use
by authorised persons.
Training of
Pupil Midwives
Arrangements continued for pupil midwives "from North Middlesex Hospital
to receive their Part II training. From 1st December, 1970, the number of
pupils taken at any one time under this scheme was increased from two
to four.
The continued co-operation of other Departments of the Council and
Voluntary Organisations in giving talks, having discussions, and arranging
community visits for these pupils was very much appreciated.
The Supervisor of Midwives gave assistance, by invitation, at the hospital
examination of Part II pupil midwives.
Training of Staff of
other Agencies
As part of their training student nurses from two local hospitals accompanied
midwives on visits to patients and at ante-natal clinics. These visits were
arranged about once a week.
Lectures on the domiliciary midwifery service continued to be given periodically
by the Supervisor of Midwives to student nurses at North Middlesex
Hospital.
Lectures were also given by a domiciliary midwife to home helps during
their in-service training courses, and midwives assisted in the school
education programme on childbirth.
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