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During the year nine pupil midwives obtained their training in the Borough in association with the
Alexandra Maternity Home. Of these, eight were successful in passing their examinations.
Negotiations for Part II training of pupil midwives, in which hospital and district training play equal
parts, were instituted by the Whittington, North Middlesex and Bearstead Maternity Hospitals.
Approval was given to the Whittington Hospital by the Central Midwives Board for Part II training,
and six pupil midwives started hospital training on the 1st December 1965, and are due to commence
district training on the 1st March 1966.
Arrangements were made for a further five general practitioner obstetricians to have a midwife in
regular attendance at their ante-natal clinics, bringing the total number of clinics attended to thirteen.
A table is given below showing the work for the past year:-
Number of deliveries attended 850
Number of visits made 19277
Number of hospital confinements discharged before 10th Day 354
Number of visits made 2465
Number of cases in which medical aid was summoned 111
Number of cases in which gas and air analgesia was administered 182
Number of cases in which pethidine was administered 497
Number of cases in which trichloroethylene was administered 386
Number of cases in which gas and air and trichloroethylene were administered 25
HEALTH VISITING SERVICE
Recruitment of new members of staff toacquire a full establishment proved impossible during 1965,
with the inevitable result that the health visitors had larger case loads than could be adequately covered.
Shortage of staff can seriously undermine the work of the health visitor, which is basically the teaching
of the principles of health and well-being. She must be constantly on the look out for early signs of
breakdown and deviation from the normal whether mental or physical. With eight unfilled posts at the
end of last year, it is reasonable to expect that the preventive aspect of the health visitor work cannot
be fully maintained. The great value of the health visitor has always been her knowledge of her area
andfamilies, buttoo largeaworkablearearesults in more pressing responsibilities and less opportunities
of fulfilling her role as the only family worker whose concern is preventing ill-health.