London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Leyton 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
This page requires JavaScript
| Midwives employed by | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Council | E.C.N.A. Midwives employed by the E C.N.A. under arrangement made with the Local Supervising Authority in pursuance of Sec. 1 of the Midwives' Act, 1936. | Total | |
HOME HELPS SERVICE.
Historical Summary.
Since the year 1931 there has been in operation in the Borough
a scheme for the provision of home helps during the confinement
or incapacity, due to obstetric reasons, of the mothers of households.
From that time until 1938 the chief difficulty in operating the
scheme was the difficulty in obtaining enough experienced and
reliable women who were willing to have their names put on the
Council's list of approved home helps owing to the spasmodic and
casual nature of the employment, which was not of the nature
likely to attract the best type of woman.
In 1938 the Council therefore adopted a scheme whereby
applicants could employ home helps of their own choice. Grants
of financial assistance by the Council were subject to the Council's
being satisfied with the home help and her work.
Ministry of Health Circular 179/44 (December, 1944) expressed
the concern of the Government regarding the need for supplying
domestic help to persons sick and infirm (whether through old age
or otherwise), and extended the power of local authorities to provide
such help in necessitous cases other than mothers and young