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128
The average duration of stay in hospital was 12.9 days, and
the cost per case was £4 10s. 7d., of which an average of £2 3s. 2d.
was paid by the patient and the remaining £2 7s. 5d. by the Council.
Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927.
There are four registered nursing homes in the Borough.
Of these, one is a maternity home only.
These institutions were visited on 9 occasions.
Home Helps.
Under the Council's scheme for the provision of home helps,
57 applications for home helps were dealt with. In 51 cases home
helps were provided, 31 of these cases having the charges remitted
in accordance with the Council's scale. In the 6 remaining cases,
5 made other arrangements for the confinement and one case had
not been confined at the end of the year.
At the end of the year there were 10 names on the Council's
approved list of home helps.
In September, 1936, the Maternity and Child Welfare Authority
extended the scheme for the provision of home helps to apply to
any expectant or nursing mother certified by the Medical Officer
of Health to need domestic assistance on account of illness.
MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY.
(Report by Dr. Menzies).
Four cases of puerperal fever and 14 cases of puerperal pyrexia
were notified during the year. The confusion which exists as to
the distinction between the terms "puerperal fever" and "puerperal
pyrexia" is shown by the occurrence among the notified
puerperal pyrexias of a case who developed clinical signs of septicaemia
within 36 hours of labour and died 5 days later.
Puerperal Fever.
Of the 4 cases notified as puerperal fever, two followed abortions
in married women. One ended fatally—