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14
THE NINTH ANNUAL REPORT
on the
WILLESDEN MATERNITY HOSPITAL.
Report on the work from 1st January, 1939, to 31st December, 1939.
By ARNOLD WALKER, M.A., M.B., B.Ch., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G.
During 1939 there has been a fall of over a hundred cases compared with the previous year.
This is accounted for in two ways. Firstly, bookings were restricted for a period during the summer
for re-painting, and secondly, a number of expectant mothers were evacuated during the early part of
the war. In September little more than half the cases booked presented themselves, and it was not
until December that the hospital was working normally again. In view of the uncertainty of the
future, the number of cases which have been booked for the early part of 1940 is higher than normal,
and, at the time of writing this report, it looks as though January, 1940, will be a record month.
As it is possible that further evacuation will be necessary as the war progresses, the policy
of booking a number of cases greater than normal seems to be the right one and best calculated to
make full use of the facilities available. At the present moment the lying-in wards for the mothers
who have been delivered are full, and patients whose progress has been normal are sent home early
and are being cared for by the municipal midwives until the fourteenth day, as laid down by the
Midwives Act, 1936. This is a more desirable procedure than over-crowding the lying-in wards.
The labour ward accommodation is adequate for the increased work. This policy of treating a larger
number of cases for a shorter period throws an increased strain upon the nursing staff, but it is satisfactory
to record that this has not resulted in any lowering of the high standard of the nursing in
peace-time.
One maternal death occurred during the year. The patient developed appendicitis immediately
before labour, and the cause of death was general peritonitis from the rupture during labour of an
appendix abscess. This is classified as an "incidental death," and is not included by the Ministry
of Health as a true maternal death.
Statistical details of the 913 Cases dealt with during 1939.
Cases completed 913
A. Booked at the Health Centres 887
Discharged well 869
Delivered elsewhere 14
Transferred 3
Died 1
B. Admitted as Emergencies 26
Discharged well 26
Of the 887 booked cases, 444 were primiparae and 443 were
multiparae.
Of the 26 emergency cases, 12 were primiparae and 14 were
multiparae.