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132
three years efforts have been made to obtain close co-operation between the
midwives and the ante-natal clinics. Every midwife in the Borough is
supplied with a book of forms for use when referring cases to the doctor at
the clinic. The midwife always receives from the doctor a written report
upon her case.
(d) Having regard to the importance of the attendance of a qualified
midwife at every confinement and to the fact that approximately 400 births
in Shoreditch were attended annually by either a doctor or a Student and an
untrained woman, the Committee decided to recommend that further application
should be made to the Ministry of Health for permission to appoint a
Municipal Midwife. The application was granted and this officer was
appointed under the conditions set forth on pp. 125.
(e) The Committee were reminded that some years ago the Ministry of
Health had been asked to sanction the granting of meals to expectant mothers
earlier than at the end of the sixth month of pregnancy. This request had
not at that time been acceded to, but in view of the importance of the proposal
on medical grounds, it was decided that it should be renewed.
From the reply received it appeared that the passing of the Local
Government Act had rendered Ministerial sanction unnecessary, and meals
were accordingly granted for this extended period.
(/) It was decided that the use of Home Helps should not be restricted
to the two weeks following confinement, but that they should also be available
in the case of illness during pregnancy.
Local Government Act, 1929.
The conditions subject to which the grant formerly payable by the
Ministry of Health to the Voluntary Institutions reported upon in this subsection,
is now to be paid by the Borough Council out of the Treasury block
grant, are as follows : —
(i) That the Council are satisfied as to the efficiency of the Maternity and
Child Welfare service provided by the association in respect of which
the contribution is payable, and that such service is being used by a
reasonable number of those persons for whom it is provided ;
(ii) That no reduction or alteration of such service is made without the
sent of the Council;
(iii) That such service, and any premises in which it is carried on, are open
to inspection at all reasonable times by any officer of the Council duly
authorized by the Council, and by any officer of the Ministry of Health
appointed for that purpose by the Minister;
(iv) That the association sends to the Council in each year a copy of the
annual report of the association on maternity and child welfare work
of the previous year, together with a statement of the accounts of the
association for that year relating to such work, and a copy of the
auditor's certificate thereon, and furnishes the Council from time to
time with such other information relating to the maternity and child
welfare services provided by the association and the expenditure thereon
as the Council may reasonably require :