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PERSONAL HEALTH
offered a further test. Arrangements were also made for women who had
had a first test under the Council's local scheme which commenced early in
1966 to be offered a re-test.
National Surveillance
of Congenital
Rubella Defects
Department of Health and Social Security circulars CMO 6/71 and CMO 7/71
addressed to local authorities and general medical practitioners suggested long
term surveillance to determine the effect of rubella (german measles)
vaccine on the incidence of congenital defects due to rubella.
The surveillance programme, organised by two central registries (one in the
Department of Paediatrics, University of Leeds, and the other at the Hospital
for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London) involves screening, by
means of the collection of blood samples, for rubella antibodies in all newly
discovered cases of congenital deafness and in any other children thought to
be suffering from the effects of congenital rubella. The surveillance will
probably continue for a period of at least ten years and this department will
be taking part in the programme.(See Tables 9, 10 and 11).
Section 10
Health Services and
Public Health Act
1968
Midwifery
Under Section 10 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 it is the
duty of every local health authority to provide a domiciliary midwifery service.
The Section enables local health authorities to make provision for midwives to
attend women elsewhere than in their own homes or in hospitals vested in
the Minister, the intention being to obtain greater flexibility in the deployment
of midwives and promote greater co-operation between the local health
authority midwifery service and general medical practice. The Section also
provides for arrangements between local health authorities for the services of
midwives employed by one authority to be made available in another
authority's area on agreed terms and conditions and for a similar arrangement
to be made between a local health authority and a hospital authority.
Midwives Act 1951
The local health authority is also the local supervising authority for the
purposes of the Midwives Act 1951.
Each year since 1965 the percentage of domiciliary births has decreased, and
in 1971 stood at 15.8%: less - for the second yar in succession - than hospital
planned early discharge cases. The latter represented 16.8% of the total, and
other hospital births (with no planned early discharge) accounted for the
remaining 67.4%.
Domiciliary midwives attended 606 confinements. They also undertook the
care of 644 patients discharged home after hospital confinement before the
tenth day, the majority being patients for whose care arrangements had been
made under the Council's planned early discharge scheme. The figure includes
however, those who took their own early discharge from hospital and also
some who were booked for home confinement but who were subsequently
admitted to hospital as emergency cases. Included in the local figures of
confinements are births to some very young teenage girls.
The issue of maternity packs and "The Baby Book" to expectant mothers
continued as in previous years.
Planned early
Discharge of
Maternity Patients
Planned early discharge schemes for suitable patients continued in operation
in conjunction with North Middlesex and Chase Farm Hospitals, thereby
ensuring availability of maternity beds for the maximum number of those
requiring hospital delivery on medical or social grounds.
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