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(f) To assist the Medical Officer of Health in the confidential
investigation of the circumstances associated with each
maternal death occurring in the area.
It was decided that the existing arrangements by which
the Medical Officer of Health undertakes the investigations
should continue.
2. The local supervising authority in consultation with the
local medical profession should, in future, be empowered to take
steps to ensure that the best local obstetric skill is made available
in all cases in which midwives are required under the rules of the
Central Midwives Board to call in a doctor.
This matter was debated at a meeting of local practitioners at
which the following resolutions were passed:—
(1) That in order to obtain the best local obstetric skill we
should support the policy of the local authority in forming
a list of local practitioners open to all practitioners willing
to undertake obstetric work on the summons of a midwife
under the rules of the Central Midwives Board.
(2) That we should establish a liaison between the profession
and the local authority by setting up a consultative committee
consisting of members of the local profession and
of the local authority with a view to the maintenance of a
high standard of midwifery.
At a subsequent meeting of the Public Health Committee at
which these resolutions were considered it was resolved that the
Public Health Committee be authorised in conjunction with the
local medical practitioners to prepare and maintain a list of practitioners
willing to undertake obstetric work upon receipt of a
summons by a midwife under the rules of the Central Midwives
Board. Five members were nominated as representatives of the
Council at the proposed joint consultative committee.
3. Emergency units should be provided whereby members of
the staffs of maternity departments will be available for the domiciliary
treatment of maternity patients whose condition is too grave to
justify their removal to hospital.
Since January, 1936, an emergency outfit has been
stationed at the Fire Station ready to be conveyed to
the home of any patient when the consultants require it.
It was hoped that arrangements could be made for supplying
a skilled nurse as well, but this as yet has not proved
practicable—another disadvantage of the district's not
possessing its own maternity home.
4. Properly constructed, adequately equipped and suitably
staffed maternity accommodation (including a sufficient number of
beds allocated to and reserved for ante-natal patients) should be