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who attended was 665, and in addition 94 attended for post-natal
examination. With the high birth rate the pressure on the AnteNatal
Clinics has been very great, and it was necessary to obtain
extra medical assistance for one Ante-Natal Clinic per week. Dr. V.
L. James conducted the Friday afternoon clinic from February until
the end of the year.
Proposed new Centre in Gordon Road.
At the end of the year the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee
decided to convert a disused Civil Defence hut in Gordon
Road, into a new Child Welfare Centre and the necessary alterations
are now almost complete. When completed the new Centre should
be of considerable value particularly to mothers and children in the
Alexandra Park Ward, and will help to relieve some of the pressure
in the White Hart Lane and Albert Road Centres. It is proposed to
hold weekly Infant and Ante-Natal Clinics at the new Centre, and
also regular Immunisation Clinics.
Home Visiting.
The Health Visitors made a total of 5,930 home visits during
the year. Of these 531 were ante-natal visits to expectant mothers,
2,519 to babies under one year, and 2,880 to children of from one to
five years. The Health Visitors also continued to act as Infant Life
Protection Visitors, visiting registered foster-mothers and fosterchildren
at regular intervals. There were 6 foster-mothers and 6
foster-children on the Register at the end of the year.
Free Food.
Free food consisting of dried milk, and cod-liver oil emulsion
was issued to necessitous expectant and nursing mothers attending
the Centres at a cost of £16 5s. 6d.
Cod-liver oil, fruit juice and vitamin tablets were issued at the
Centres with the co-operation of the staff of tbe Local Food Office.
The returns received month by month for the London Divisional
Food Office show that not sufficient advantage is taken by many
mothers of this special provision of cod-liver oil, fruit juice and
vitamin tablets for children under five years of age. The return
for the four weeks ending December 28th, 1946, showed that the
weekly average issue represented the following percentages of the
total potential:—