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Home helps;
Provision of food for expectant and nursing mothers and children up to
five years of age;
Creches and day nurseries;
Convalescent homes;
Homes for the children of widowed and deserted mothers and for illegitimate
children;
Experimental work for the health of expectant and nursing mothers and
of infants and children under five years of age."
The Maternity and Child Welfare Act helped to further the Council's policy.
Existing services were continually expanded, sometimes out of ah recognition.
Some of the more outstanding items must be mentioned:—
In 1922 an Agreement was entered into with the British Hospital for Mothers
and Babies for the confinement there of 144 mothers per year, sponsored by the
Council. This was later increased in 1939 to 216, and again in 1943 to 312. A
similar Agreement was made with the Memorial Hospital in 1928 for 66 cases.
In 1927 the Memorial Hospital in the Borough was opened. The Council made
a grant of £30,000 to assist the hospital in providing the maximum service as soon
as possible after opening.
In 1931 the first combined Maternity and Child Welfare and School Treatment
Clinic in the metropolitan area was opened in Westhorne Avenue, Eltham (this
Centre was completely destroyed by enemy action in 1941). The Centre was an
outstanding success and was followed by the Plumstead combined Health Centre in
1933, and the Woolwich combined Health Centre in 1939—services at this Centre
included Physical Medicine, Chiropody, Sunlight, Dental, Ear, Nose and Throat,
and Orthopaedics, in addition to the Child Welfare and Ante-Natal service. There
are now many such Centres in the metropolitan area.
In 1934, the Council, with the co-operation of local medical practitioners,
started a scheme for the immunisation of children against diphtheria. The service
has been continued and expanded ever since. Its success is shown by the fact that
an estimated 74 per cent, of the mid-1947 child population are immunised, and by
the remarkable drop in the cases and deaths from diphtheria.
A similar scheme was instituted in 1943 for whooping cough. Its popularity
has increased yearly.
In 1939 war again intervened and dislocated the services. Almost overnight
the carefully planned medical Civil Defence services came into operation. Health
Centres, the Tuberculosis Dispensary and offices were transformed into first aid
posts, gas decontamination stations and public shelters. Health Visitors became
nurses in charge of first aid posts. It was possible, however, to maintain partial
health services under extremely difficult conditions. Often the war-time emergency
services and the health services were conducted side by side—some members of the
staff being engaged on both forms of activity. The depletion of the permanent
staff for various forms of national service necessitated the employment of temporary
staff. Evacuation of children and expectant mothers ; extra clothing coupons
and priority dockets ; continental refugees ; medical inspection of rest centres,
shelters and day nurseries, are a few of the other war-time activities dealt with by
the department.
On the cessation of hostilities, intensive efforts were made to restore and in some