London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Havering 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Havering]
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TABLE 6
| No. of Domiciliary Confinements attendedby Midwives | Number of patients delivered in Hospitals and other institutions and discharged and attended by domiciliary midwife before 10th day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor not Booked | Doctor Booked | ||||
| Doctor present at delivery | Doctor not present at delivery | Doctor present at delivery (either the booked doctor or another) | Doctor not present at delivery | T otal | |
| 10 | 40 | 466 | 621 | 1137 | 2421 |
The proportion of domiciliary births related to the total
decreased still further in 1967, as shown in the following table: —
TABLE 7
| Place of Birth | Total adjusted by notifications transferred in or out of the area | |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 1966 | |
| Domiciliary | 1137 | 1352 |
| Institutional | 3014 | 2864 |
| Percentage of Hospital Births | 72.6 | 68.0 |
It is estimated that 70-75% of all expectant mothers fall
within one or other of the priority groups forhospital confinement
and therefore the above table indicates that during 1967, accommodation
in hospital was available for those expectant
mothers requiring admission on medical or social grounds. The
number of maternity patients discharged from Hospital to the care
of domiciliary midwives before the tenth day after confinement
rose from 1899 in 1966 to 2421 an increase of about 27 per cent,
and 927 of the total of 2421 were discharged within 48 hours.
This has a considerable effect on the duties of domiciliary
midwives who are now required to undertake fewer confinements,
but instead are providing care to a steadily increasing number
of mothers and babies discharged from hospital very shortly
13