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8
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE SERVICE
(I) MATERNITY SERVICE:
Maternal Mortality Rate—
During 1948 there were 3 deaths classed to pregnancy and child-bearing. The puerperal mortality rate
was .95 per 1,000 registered total births. During 1948 there were 3 maternal deaths from non-puerperal causes.
The total maternal mortality from all causes, including criminal abortion, was therefore 1.91 per 1,000
registered total births.
(a) ANTE-NATAL CARE:
At each of the three municipal health centres two doctors conduct four ante-natal sessions weekly. During
1948, 3,475 expectant mothers attended for medical consultation, making a total of 16,348 attendances. At
the three centres, seven area midwives hold seven sessions per week. 580 expectant mothers, with
3,426 attendances, were seen at these clinics.
The Council's consultant obstetrician attended the health centres on 75 occasions during the year (once
every fortnight at each centre), and the mothers seen totalled 584 attendances.
The Queen Charlotte's Hospital ante.natal clinic at 84, Princess Road, held 51 sessions, which were
attended by 130 mothers on 864 occasions.
588 expectant mothers booked for confinement in the Central Middlesex Hospital were referred to the
Willesden Health Centres for ante.natal care in 1948.
819 home visits were made by the Council's health visitors to expectant mothers on the request for
special reports by various hospitals where they were booked for their confinement.
Health Centres:
(1) Kilburn Health Centre, 9, Willesden Lane, Kilburn, N.W.6. Opened November 1st, 1916.
(2) Willesden Health Centre, 381, High Road, Willesden, N.W.10. Opened October 1st, 1917.
(3) Stonebridge Health Centre, Harrow Road, N.W.10. Opened April 8th, 1930.
(4) Princess Road Infant Welfare Centre, N.W.6. Previously a voluntary centre, but was taken over
by the Council on April 1st, 1942.
The Centres are now out of date and overburdened with work, with the result that they are often overcrowded.
It is especially difficult for expectant mothers, who in two centres have to negotiate awkward stairs
in order to visit the consulting rooms on the top floor. Clinics are urgently needed in the northern part of the
area which, because of its later development, has no clinic provision.
Teaching of Mothercraft:
Mothers are taught mothercraft at special classes held at the centre, and 429 attendances were made
by mothers at classes at Stonebridge Health Centre during the year. Classes have now commenced in all three
centres.
Dental Treatment:
During the year 1948, 476 expectant mothers attended the health centres on 1981 occasions for dental
treatment.
Although the local assistant Medical Officers of Health attend the Central Middlesex Hospital monthly
for the purpose of instruction in the practice of midwifery, it has been found impossible, at present, to arrange
for them to do practical midwifery as envisaged in Circular 118/47. Similarly, it has been impossible to arrange
for the general practitioners to assist in the ante.natal work of the clinics. As a result, the co.operation between
these doctors, which is so essential for an efficient midwifery service, has had little opportunity to develop.
Sterilised Accouchement Sets:
403 sets were supplied from January 1st, 1948, to July 4th, 1948, 63 at full cost and 163 at part cost,
and the remainder free. 303 sets were issued free from July 5th, 1948, in accordance with the provisions of the
National Health Service Act, 1946.
(b) DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY:
The number of whole-time municipal midwives is 10, 3 of whom are relief midwives. In addition,
2 midwives and 1 part-time midwife are employed by the Queen Charlotte's Hospital District Home, and they
deal with midwifery cases in part of the Carlton ward.
The Willesden District Nursing Association employed 3 district midwives acting as maternity nurses.
There are no midwives in private practice in the area.
Watling and Willesden Training School for Second Period Pupil Midwives
The work of the domiciliary midwives in Willesden is combined with the midwifery work of the Watling
and District Nursing Association as a training school for Part II midwives.
During the year, 35 pupil midwives were trained on the district. Of the 35 pupils, 26 sat for the final
examination, 25 passed, 1 failed, but passed at the subsequent examination.