View report page

9
as a whole, the rates for whooping cough 0.01, diphtheria 0.025 and
influenza 0.07 being lower than the corresponding national rates of
0.02, 0.05, 0.09 ; measles being the same figure, 0.01. Last year infantile
diarrhoea accounted for many infant deaths, yielding a fatality rate of
10.3 per thousand live births ; in 1942 the figure was only 2.3 as compared
with the national rate of 5.2.
As has been pointed out already, in spite of this fall in the number
of deaths from these conditions, the number of deaths recorded for the
inhabitants of the district reached the highest level ever recorded.
The increase in the number of deaths again took place amongst
those of more advanced years ; in each sex, it was largely limited to those
over the age of 65, the males of these ages contributing 46.4 of the total
deaths as compared with a figure of 42.1 in 1941 and 40.3 in 1938, and
the females 56.8 as compared with figures of 53.0 in 1941 and 46.5 in
1938.
GENERAL PROVISIONS OF HEALTH
SERVICES FOR THE AREA.
CLINICS AND TREATMENT CENTRES.
A few changes took place during the year in the clinic sessions.
Early in the year one session was transferred from Roxeth to Walton
Avenue. In March St. Anselms Hall, which, while it was occupied as a
first aid post, had not been used for clinic sessions, again became available,
all three classes of session, ante.natal, infant welfare and toddlers, being
held. About the same time the increasing attendances at the Stanmore
ante.natal clinic necessitated the holding of an additional session. In
May, chiefly owing to difficulty in obtaining medical staff, the three
weekly infant welfare sessions in Wealdstone were reduced to two. Increasing
difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the services of
part-time practitioners to staff these clinics and when, for any reason,
the usual medical officer cannot attend it is frequently impossible to
find a substitute, so that what was formerly a most exceptional experience
is now unfortunately becoming not unusual. The question of the
appointment of another full-time Assistant Medical Officer was favourably
considered by the Council but the suggestion did not meet with the
approval of the Local Medical War Committee. Clinic sessions play
such an important part in any authority's maternity and child welfare
service that it is to be hoped that it will again become the exception
if a session at which a medical officer is expected to be present has to be
held without one. At the end of the year 23 infant welfare sessions
were being held in 12 premises ; 13 ante-natal clinics (two fortnightly,
the remainder weekly), at 12 addresses, and the equivalent of 5 weekly
toddlers' sessions at 8 premises.
The steadily increasing attendances at the Marlborough Hill clinic
are resulting in conditions there being most unsatisfactory, both from
the point of view of the patients and of the staff who attend them. The
question of providing extensions to the premises was considered, but up
to the end of the year approval to this had not been obtained owing
to the competing demands of labour and materials. Further