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The Hammersmith Hospital premature baby unit provides a special ambulance for transporting
premature babies who require treatment in their unit. The ambulance is accompanied by two qualified nurses
with special training in the care of premature babies, and it carries special equipment including a fitted cot and
apparatus for administering oxygen. The ambulance is sent for at the request of a doctor who has been
called for medical aid by the midwife. Three babies were admitted to the unit during the year.
According to the Ministry of Health report (1952-1954) on confidential inquiries into maternal deaths
in England and Wales, toxaemia of pregnancy accounted for nearly one quarter of the deaths of mothers
directly due to pregnancy and childbirth. Inadequate ante-natal care was considered to be the largest
avoidable cause and the number of deaths could be decreased by an improvement in the quality of prenatal
supervision.
Toxaemia of pregnancy was also considered to be a major cause of still births and neo-natal deaths.
The report was carefully studied by the medical and nursing staff and it was agreed that efforts should
be made to provide better ante-natal care especially in the early detection and treatment of toxaemia;
prompter and more effective treatment of haemorrhage, especially through the use of "flying squads" and a
more careful selection of cases for specialist care at hospital, especially women in the older age groups and
higher parities.
HEALTH VISITING
The Health Visitor is the most important social worker for the care of expectant and nursing mothers
and young children. Under the National Health Service Act, 1946, her work has been extended to the whole
family for their health education and the prevention, care and after care of illness.
Health Visitors attend with the assistant medical officers at maternity and child welfare clinics and
at schools for medical inspections and routine hygiene inspections. During the year they gave 71 school talks
to senior girls on Mothercraft; these talks were much appreciated by the girls, who showed interest and
asked a number of intelligent questions. They make enquiries for the special National Surveys and help in
the practical training of hospital student nurses, student health visitors from Middlesex, Battersea Polytechnic
and the Royal College of Nursing and home nurse candidates who are in training (Table 57).
Health Visitors work in close co-operation with general practitioners (Table 58), staffs of hospitals,
children's officers, welfare officers, Public Health inspectors and other social workers.
Some patients who attended diabetic clinics require instruction on their treatment, diet and aftercare
to be given in their homes, and arrangements have been made for this to be done by health visitors'
instruction. Health visitors attend the diabetic clinics at the Central Middlesex and Willesden General
Hospitals, and they are responsible to the physicians-in-charge for the advice given to patients in their homes.
During the year health visitors supervised 15 patients, carefully selected by the physicians-in-charge,
The health visitors gave useful assistance and advice to all of them and proved in practice how important is
the social side in the treatment of diabetic patients.
There is still a shortage of health visitors for the Willesden part of the area (Table 59). Temporary
clinic nurses have therefore been employed to help at the clinic sessions and visit schools for medical inspections
and routine hygiene inspections.
The Middlesex County Council introduced a sponsored scheme for student health visitors in September,
1955. Students receive their theoretical training at the Chiswick Polytechnic and their practical training in
one of the areas. They must remain with the County Council as health visitors for two years after they qualify.
Three students who were sponsored for Willesden qualified as health visitors and were appointed as health
visitors to Willesden. In addition there were four students in Willesden in 1957.
MINISTRY OF FOOD WELFARE FOODS
The supply of national dried milk, orange juice, cod liver oil and vitamin 'A' and 'D' tablets are
distributed from centres and clinics in the Borough. No alterations were made during 1957 in the number
of sessions for the sale of these welfare foods. In August, 1955 the sessions at Kilburn Clinic were reduced
from 10 to 7 per week, Memorial Hall, Acton Lane from 10 to 6 and the Neasden Methodist Church Hall
from 4 to 3, because of a drop in sales.
On the 21st March, 1957, as a result of the Welfare Foods (Great Britain) Amendment Order, 1957,
the price of a 20-oz. tin of national dried milk, supplied against a milk token, was increased from lO^d. to
2/4d. Orange juice continued to be supplied at 5d. per bottle, and cod liver oil and vitamin tablets, free of
charge.
The Ministry of Health adopted the recommendation of the loint Committee on Welfare Foods
(Ministry of Health Circular No. 15/57 (4.10.57) and as from the 1st November, 1957, orange juice, which
previously had been available for children up to 5 years, was restricted to children up to the age of 2 years,
including those attending day nurseries.
HOME NURSING
The Area Health Office is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Home Nursing Service
in Willesden.
The nurses are non-resident and receive many applications from hospitals and general practitioners
by telephone in their own homes.