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27
The main developments of the maternity and child welfare
services during the year have been to make still further
provision for the safeguarding of motherhood and the reduction
of maternal mortality.
The Council made application to the Ministry of Health
to become the supervising authority under the Midwives Acts
and the application was granted. At the same time the
County Council delegated to the Borough Council its powers
tinder the Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927, and from
the 1st April the Council became responsible for carrying
out the duties under these Acts.
The Midwives Acts of 1902—1926 place on local supervising
authorities the duty of supervising all midwives practising
in their areas. This work requires considerable sympathy
and tact and a specialised knowledge of obstetric conditions,
and it is demanded by regulation that the supervisor, amongst
other qualifications, shall have held the appointment of
resident Medical Officer in a maternity department for a
period of not less than six months, and within a period of two
years before the first appointment as a medical supervisor,
had not less than one year's continuous experience in some
branch of obstetric work.
The Council decided to nominate Dr. Jean MacLennan
as the supervisor under the Acts and this nomination was
approved by the Minister of Health.
The 1936 Midwives Act places upon the local supervising
authorities the duty of securing for their areas an adequate
number of whole-time midwives to act as midwives or
maternity nurses.
The objects of the Act are summarised in the Ministry of
Health Circular 1569 which reads as follows:—
"The principal object of the Act is to secure the
organisation throughout the country of a domiciliary service
of salaried midwives under the control of the local
supervising authorities as an important step in the improvement
of the maternity services and in the campaign