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10
Willesden Maternity Hospital:
1,394 patients were booked during 1948 for confinement in the Willesden Maternity Hospital. The
lees varied from 9 at £15 0s. Od. to 178 free, with an average of £2 1 Is. 7d. per case. 793 mothers were booked
without charge from the date of operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946, namely, July 5th, 1948.
During 1948, 75 applicants for confinement in the Willesden Maternity Hospital were unable to be
booked, 52 cases because there was no bed available, and 23 because their home conditions were satisfactory.
(d) POST-NATAL CARE:
214 post-natal sessions were held during the year, and 286 patients attended. Mothers are referred to the
Central Middlesex Hospital for further investigation and treatment if it is found necessary.
(2) INFANT WELFARE SERVICE:
At the three health centres, two doctors conduct ten infant welfare sessions weekly. A part.time doctor
holds two sessions weekly at the Princess Road Centre. The health visiting staff assist in the clinics and visit the
mothers in their homes to give general advice and assistance on the care of the child.
Number of Health Visitors:
Health Visitors (full-time) 18
Health Visitors (part-time) 2
Health Centre Matrons 3
Health Centre Nurses 4
Chief Health Visitor and Non.medical Supervisor of Midwives 1
Orthopaedic Nurse 1
2,062 children attended the three health centres and 414 attended Princess Road Centre, i.e., 65.5 per
cent of the total number of children (3,147) registered as born alive in 1948.
There were 1,344 sessions held in the three health centres, and 42,401 attendances were made. 3,932
attendances were made at the Princess Road Centre.
Total number of visits and revisits made by health visitors=64,922, i.e.:
Maternity and Child Welfare 49,774
School Medical Service 10,795
Infectious Diseases 3,329
Child Life Protection 698
Others 326
Total 64,922
Infants and schoolchildren are referred to general practitioners for domiciliary treatment, and to the
hospital for the opinion of a consultant. Before the operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946, mothers
often could not afford the fees of a private practitioner, and difficulty was found in providing medical attention
for the child in the home. Since July 5th, 1948, this difficulty has been overcome as the children are now
.entitled to the services of a general practitioner without payment. There is, however, a need for a closer liaison
between the general practitioner, the Assistant Medical Officer of Health and the paediatrician in the care and
treatment of the child.
Supply of Drugs to Centres:
Before July 5th, 1948, the three pharmacists employed by the local authority for work in the hospital
service and in the health centres prepared the medicines and drugs for the health centres and attended regularly
in order to distribute them.
It was found impossible to continue this service permanently after the transfer of these officers to the
Regional Hospital Board, and the medicines are now supplied by a firm of manufacturing chemists and are
distributed by the health visitors.
Hospital Treatment of Children under 5 Years of Age:
Five children were admitted to Stanmore Hospital for orthopaedic conditions.
The two hospitals which largely deal with children in this area are the Central Middlesex Hospital and
the Paddington Green Children's Hospital.
Child Life Protection:
At July 4th, 1948, there were 29 foster mothers and 43 foster children in Willesden. The supervision of
foster children has now been transferred to the Children's Committee of the Middlesex County Council, and at
the end of 1948 there were 38 foster mothers and 51 foster children.