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28
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE CENTRES.
The Maternity and Child Welfare services showed a
satisfactory development during 1938 and continue to be
widely utilised. Eighty per cent. of all infants born into the
Hendon area attended the centres during the year. At the
new centre in Hartley Avenue, Mill Hill, opened on 11th
December, 1937, three child welfare sessions weekly were
started, together with one ante-natal session per week. Dental
clinics for treatment of expectant mothers and children under
school age are now regularly held there also. At the beginning
of the year a child welfare centre was started at St.
Barnabas Church Hall, West Finchley, for the benefit of the
Woodside Park estate and one session weekly has been held.
(At the time of writing this centre has been transferred to
Frith Manor School). One extra child welfare session weekly
was found necessary at the Colindale centre.
The total number of attendances at the child welfare
centres was 57,581 in 1938, representing an increase of 7,9.1.7
on the figure for 1937.
ANTE-NATAL CLINICS.
Five ante-natal sessions are now held in the Borough, i.e.,
one weekly in each of the permanent centres. The total
number of ante-natal attendances during 1938 was 3,192,
representing an increase of 801 on the number for 1937. or
33.5 per cent. increase. The total number of women who
attended the ante-natal clinics during the year was 716 (as
compared with 610 in 1937), and the average number of attendances
made by each person was 4.46.
The increase in the numbers of women attending for
ante-natal supervision is due to two factors, the first being
the establishment of a domiciliary midwifery service under
the provisions of the Midwives Act of 1936, as all women who
are to be attended by one of the Council's Midwives are
supervised ante-natally by the medical staff, the Midwife