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9
In addition to the Council Midwives, there are 2 Midwives in
independent practice in the District, and also 5 District Nurse Midwives.
One Midwife resident outside the Borough, undertook cases
in the District during the year.
(iv) Midwives Act, 1936.
The following gives a summary of the cases attended by the
Council Midwives, as Midwives, and as Maternity Nurses during
1944:—
As Midwives 277
As Maternity Nurses 99
The attendances this year have been influenced somewhat by
the evacuation from Romford of expectant mothers, after this area
was included in the scheme of official evacuation, following increased
enemy activity in the month of June. To counterbalance this, however,
the Midwives attended many mothers who did not leave the
district, and who, in normal times, would have been confined in
Hospital, but by reason of restricted accommodation in Hospital
and staffing difficulties could not be admitted. Only those mothers
where abnormality is anticipated, or where the home conditions are
unsatisfactory for confinement are now admitted to Hospital.
(v) Hospitals: Public and Voluntary.
(a) Infectious Diseases.
(b) Maternity.
(c) Children.
(d) Other Cases.
There is nothing new to report in either of these sections.
2.—MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
(i) Ante-natal Clinics.
Sessions for this purpose continued as before, as also the Consultative
Ante-natal Clinic at Oldchurch County Hospital.
During the year 1944, 1,081 individual expectant mothers
attended the Clinics. In addition 22 mothers attended for postnatal
advice.
In all 202 sessions were held during the year. The total number
of attendances of the 1,103 mothers mentioned above was 4,297
giving an average of 3.9 attendances per patient. The average
number attending at each session was 21.3.