London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Romford 1944
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Romford]
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(ii) Infant Welfare Clinics.
These sessions, also, were held as before.
Close co-operation was continued with the Local Food Office
to enable full advantage to be taken of the schemes of the Ministry
of Food for the distribution of National Dried Milk, Fruit Juices,
and Cod Liver Oil. These preparations are distributed from each
of the Child Welfare Centres, from the Food Office, and from the
Food Advice Centre in South Street.
The Health Visitors and the Midwives were given instructions
to take every opportunity of encouraging Expectant Mothers to
apply as early as possible in pregnancy for their allotment of Cod
Liver Oil in liquid form or in tablets, and all mothers have been
encouraged verbally, and by leaflets, to procure the vitamin preparations,
which are on issue for their children.
Regarding the provision of Dried Milk, and other preparations,
not within the scheme of the Ministry of Food, there were 68 applications
received during the year, 18 had to pay a proportion of the
cost, and the remaining 50 received free grants. It was found convenient
in assessing the amount to be paid to alter the scale of the
Council to that adopted by the Ministry of Food for the issue of
National Dried Milk and vitamin preparations.
During 1944, 362 Child Welfare Sessions were held, and the following table gives a summary of the attendances:—
| Table 1. | |
| Individual Children attending | 1,785 |
| Children attending for the first time | 1,105 |
| Medical Consultations | 6,250 |
| Attendances of Children under 1 year | 11,450 |
| Attendances of Children between the ages of 1 and 5 years | 3,879 |
| Average attendance per session | 42.3 |
Table 2 relates to the Home Visits paid by the Health Visitors.
Table 2.
| (a) | Expectant Mothers. | |
| First Visits | 173 | |
| Total Visits | 183 | |
| (b) | To Children under One Year of age. | |
| First Visits | 1,074 | |
| Total Visits | 2,508 | |
| (c) | To Children between the Ages of 1 and 5 years Total Visits | 4,678 |