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We are fortunate in the fact that many of our Health
Visitors have worked in this Area for a number of years.
We are thus able to build on a solid foundation, which is
of the very greatest help to us in our work.
8. MIDWIFERY SERVICE.
The number of births which occurred in Area No,2
during 1953 was just over 2,000. Of these, approximately
80% took place in hospitals and nursing homes; the remainder
were domiciliary cases. Almost all the domiciliary cases
were attended by our own midwives, 242 in the capacity of
midwife, 153 as maternity nurse. In attending these cases,
more than 7,000 visits were made, an average of approximately
18 visits per case. In addition, a percentage of the
children born in hospitals and nursing homes were discharged
sufficiently early to become, for a time, the responsibility
of a domiciliary midwife. These cases accounted for a
total of 225 visits.
At the beginning of 1953 there were nine midwives on
the staff. During the year two midwiVes left, one to be
married and the other to take up a post in Indonesia.
The approval of the County Council was obtained to replace
these midwives, although considerable difficulty was experienced
in filling both vacancies. ' Thanks to the
generosity of the Potters Bar Urban District Council, we
have obtained the provision of a flatlet, which has
recently been occupied by a full-time midwife. We are
equally grateful to the Urban District Council of Friern
Barnet, where similar provision has been made.
In addition to the nine midwives mentioned above,
we usually have two pupil midwives undergoing part of their
training in the Area. These are normally resident at
'Osidge' where there is a resident approved midwife teacher
responsible for their training.
All our domiciliary midwives are subject to the supervision
of the Senior Assistant Medical Officer and the
non-medical Supervisor of Midwives. Our midwives are all
qualified to administer gas and air analgesia. All have
the use of portable apparatus for the administration of
gas and air. In just over three out of four cases
attended by our midwives, gas and air analgesia was given
by a midwife; in approximately three out of five cases,
pethidine was administered, again by a midwife.
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