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(c) For Old church Hospital—Two, which are stationed at
the Hospital.
Regarding the matter of co-ordination of services, the agreement
entered into with the Essex County Council and the District
Councils in the County relative to the reciprocal user of the ambulances
owned by the various Authorities is still in operation. The
effect of this agreement is that each Authority is responsible for the
maintenance of its own ambulance service, but in addition, is able
to call on other ambulances in cases of emergency, and can also
assist other Authorities where the need arises in other areas.
The Ambulance Serivce is therefore adequate and satisfactory.
LABORATORY FACILITIES.
Clinical material in all forms for Bacteriological and Chemical
Analyses is sent to the Counties Public Health Laboratories, Queen
Victoria Street, London under an arrangement entered into with
the Essex County Council. When a report is sent to a practitioner,
the Health Department here receives a duplicate, and, in this
manner, is kept informed of the results of various specimens submitted
from patients in the district.
In addition to the above, we still have the scheme whereby
swabs for Klebs Loeffler Bacillus can be taken by hand to the
Isolation Hospital, and examined at the laboratory there.
NURSING FACILITIES.
1. General Nursing.
There are now in the District, 4 District Nurses who devote
their time to domiciliary nursing. Two of these are provided by the
Romford District Nursing Association, and two by the Collier Row
District Nursing Association. In each case, the nurse also undertakes
midwifery duties, but in the case of the Collier Row District
Nursing Assocition it is the intention, so far as practicable, to allow
one of the nurses to carry out all the general duties, and one all the
midwifery duties.
2. Midwives.
As from September 1st, a scheme for the supply of a domiciliary
service of salaried midwives came into operation in the District. By
an arrangement with the Local Supervising Authority viz. the Essex
County Council, the Romford Council were enabled to appoint the
midwives who would reside and carry out duties in the Romford
area. In this manner 3 midwives were appointed, and an adjustment
was made in the terms of service of Midwife Shuttleworth,
who had been in the employ of the Romford Council for a number
of years, so as to enable her conditions to be made comparable to
those of the new service.