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PERSONAL HEALTH
Notifications were received of 250 babies weighing 51/2 lb or less at birth. Of
these seventeen were domiciliary births. Two were admitted to hospital. The
remaining fifteen were cared for at home by midwives and all survived.
Care of Premature
Infants
A close liaison between midwives and family doctors continued to be
maintained. Attachment arrangements were made for a further five midwives
in respect of six practices, making a total of thirteen midwives
attached to fourteen practices, serving a total of 42 general practitioners.
Liaison with
General Practitioners
During the year portable incubators held at main ambulance depots were
used on 44 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.
Portable Incubators
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. During the year the tests made on these blood samples were extended
to include a test for histidinaemia and homocystinuria.
Guthrie Tests
There are two "flying squads" serving the borough, one based at North
Middlesex Hospital and the other at Chase 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 six emergency calls during 1971.
Hospital "Flying
Squad" Service
Trichloroethylene inhalers, used by all domiciliary midwives, were regularly
tested in accordance with the rules of the Central Midwives' Board.
Analgesia
Twenty-eight domiciliary midwives employed by local health authorities and
147 institutional midwives employed at hospitals notified their intention to
practise as midwives within the borough during 1971.
Notification of intention
to Practise
Disposal points are conveniently situated throughout the borough for use by
authorised persons.
Disposal of Placentae
and Offensive Dressings
Arrangements continued for pupil midwives from North Middlesex Hospital
to receive their Part II training. The number of pupils taken at any one time
under this scheme was 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 and also lectured to Part I pupils about
the local supervising authority and the domiciliary midwifery service.
Training of Pupil
Midwives
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 domiciliary midwifery service
continued to be given periodically by the Supervisor of Midwives to student
nurses at North Middlesex Hospital. Midwives assisted in the school health
education programme on childbirth. (See Tables 12 and 13).
Training of Staff of
other Agencies
29