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
Willesden 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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Table No. 1.
| Year. | No. of Confinement Cases Booked. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 (part-year) | 99 | Maternity Pavilion at Municipal Hospital opened. |
| 1919 | 267 | |
| 1920 | 444 | Restrictions began to be placed on bookings. |
| 1921 | 335 | |
| 1922 | 266 | |
| 1923 | 140 | Municipal Hospital Pavilion closed, 30th April, 1923. Cases sent to Park Royal Hospital. |
| 1924 | 99 | |
| 1925 | 146 | |
| 1926 | 220 | |
| 1927 | 221 | |
| 1928 | 272 | |
| 1929 | 334 | |
| 1930 | 402 | |
| 1931 | 535 | Willesden Maternity Hospital opened, 14th February, 1931. Cases no longer sent to Park Royal Hospital. |
| 1932 | 544 | Bookings limited to relieve pressure on Hospital accommodation. |
| 1933 | 550 |
During 1933, 311 applicants for confinement in the Willesden Maternity Hospital were unable
to be booked, either because no beds were available for the expected month of confinement, or because
the applicants did not come within the Council's Scheme. The following table gives information
as to the cases refused:—
Table No . 2.—A pplications for Booking Refused.
| No beds available | 104 |
| Not resident in Willesden | 54 |
| Will not have had 12 months' residence in Willesden prior to expected | |
| date of confinement | 97 |
| Unable to pay fee | 16 |
| Sufficient home accommodation | 38 |
| Balance in respect of last confinement still owing to Council | 2 |
| 311 |
The following Table shows the fees at which the 550 cases were booked:—
Table No . 3.
| Fee. | No. of Cases. | Fee. | No. of Cases. |
|---|---|---|---|
| £8 8s. Od. | 16 | £3 0s. Od | 43 |
| £6 0s. Od. | 1 | £2 10s. Od | 56 |
| £5 0s. Od. | 5 | £2 0s. Od. | 53 |
| £4 10s. Od. | 13 | £1 10s. Od | 58 |
| £4 0s. Od. | 17 | £1 5s. Od | 60 |
| £3 10s. Od. | 26 | £1 0s. Od | 202 |
The average fee per case is approximately £2 0s. 9½d.
Hospital Confinements.—During 1933, 499 women were confined in the Willesden Maternity
Hospital. In addition to these an even larger number of Willesden mothers were confined in institutions
outside Willesden, 585 births of Willesden residents being notified from such outside institutions—195
from Queen Charlotte's Hospital, 74 from Queen Mary's Maternity Home, Hampstead, 45 from
St. Mary's Hospital, 20 from University College Hospital, 17 from Middlesex Hospital, and smaller
numbers from other hospitals ; 51 from a nursing home and smaller numbers from other nursing
homes. These, together with some 294 in the Central Middlesex County Hospital, are approximately
one-half of the births belonging to Willesden and show the desire of the present-day mother for
institutional confinement.