View report page

35
Health visitors conduct mothercraft classes (one afternoon a week at the main clinics) on the care
of' the expectant mother, the birth, and the child. They arrange carefully planned programmes of talks
and demonstrations, which are given by the assistant medical officers, health visitors and midwives.
Mothers are encouraged to ask questions, and interesting discussions follow over a cup of tea.
In 1955, 116 mothercraft classes were held with an average attendance of 7 mothers a session;
162 mothers attended for the first time (Table 3).
The physiotherapist conducts ante-natal relaxation classes on two afternoons a week in the orthopaedic
department at Stonebridge Health Clinic, and a health visitor conducts similar classes at Kilburn
Health Qinic on one afternoon a week. (Table 4).
The decline in attendance at ante-natal clinics, etc., is as a result of some hospitals arranging for
expectant mothers to have their ante-natal care, mothercraft and relaxation exercises at the hospital.
Health visitors and midwives encourage mothers to have post-natal examination six weeks after
confinement, either at the hospital, at the clinic, or by general practitioners. Health visitors make followup
visits where mothers fail to keep appointments at the hospital or clinics.
Two additional church hall clinics were opened in May, 1955, one at St. Martin's Church Hall,
Purves Road, Kensal Rise, N.W.10, and the other at St Luke's Church Hall, 47, Denmark Road, N.W.6.
Child Welfare Clinics.
Child welfare sessions are held on five afternoons a week in the three main clinics, and on two
afternoons a week in the four church hall clinics. The average number who attended each session was 29
(Table 5.)
Assistant medical officers and health visitors give advice on the feeding, hygiene and general
management of infants and young children. The doctors immunise children under one year against diphtheria
and whooping cough.
Greeting cards are sent to children on their first and second birthdays, inviting their mothers to
bring them to the clinic for routine yearly examinations and a tuberculin patch test.
When treatment is required, assistant medical officers inform general practitioners.
A mothers' club is held in the Kilburn Health Clinic on one afternoon a week and in Stonebridge
Health Clinic on one evening a week. The mothers form their own Committees and run the clubs themselves
with guidance given by the nursing staff. They arrange interesting programmes of lectures and demonstrations
on health and homecraft which are given by assistant medical officers, health visitors and outside
speakers.
The Stonebridge mothers' club has proved to be very successful. The club has a membership of
30, with an average attendance of 15 mothers. A summer outing and visit to a theatre was arranged and
the club gave a Christmas party to 50 children. A parents' handicraft exhibition was held in the autumn
and there were 100 exhibits including knitting, needlework, painting, woodwork, leatherwork, rug-making,
cake and jam making, all of a particularly high standard.