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from a post-natal clinic if the Medical Officer who examines the
patients has a knowledge of their condition during pregnancy and
confinement, and if co-operation in treatment is sought with other
agencies, e.g., the general practitioner, the infant welfare clinic,
the hospital gynaecological department. As far as possible the
patient's ante-natal and natal notes are made available for reference
in the Leyton clinic. Two of the three municipal midwives
attend each session (unless prevented by their other work), and
they thus have the opportunity of following up some of their own
cases. The clinic medical officers and the health visitors have given
additional information about individual patients. When the
patient is found to have some non-gynaecological condition which
requires treatment and has a private medical attendant, she has
been referred to him. When, as in Leyton, attendance at the
clinic is possible only once a month, such reference is not only
advisable but necessary. In some cases local gynaecological treatment
has been given at the clinic in co-operation with general
treatment by the patient's general medical practitioner. Prescriptions
are issued to those patients who have no general practitioner
and require medical treatment. Prescriptions have also
been issued for contraceptives.
I do not think that the percentage of patients (35 per cent.)
who have taken advantage of the appointments offered to them by
letter is satisfactory, though I understand that 30 per cent. is the
proportion of confinement cases who are found to come for postnatal
examination in other districts. As the clinic becomes better
known I hope this proportion will increase.
In conclusion I should like to take this opportunity of saying
that the Public Health staff—doctors, health visitors, midwives
and clerks have all without exception been most helpful and cooperative
in their attitude to this new clinic.
Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927.
There are three registered nursing homes in the Borough.
These institutions were inspected on 21 occasions.
Home Helps.
Under the Council's scheme for the provision of home helps,
99 applications for home helps were dealt with. In 73 cases (12
of whom made application in 1937), home helps were provided,
25 of these cases having the charges remitted in accordance with the