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General Practitioner Ante-natal Scheme.
For many years the Council has had a scheme in force by which an
expectant mother, to be attended at home by a midwife, can obtain her
ante-natal supervision by her own doctor instead of attending the clinic,
the Council paying the medical attendant an agreed fee. Most of the
local medical practitioners agreed to participate in the scheme. Insured
patients are entitled, as part of the service, to ante-natal supervision, but
in such cases the authority is empowered to pay for the report received
from the medical attendant. The scheme also extends to the post-natal
examination. In no year has any large number of patients been dealt
with under these arrangements. Last year the number was only two.
Consultant Ante-natal Clinic.
The Council's consultant obstetrician attends the clinic three weeks
out of four. Most of the cases seen are those referred to him by the antenatal
clinic medical officers on account of some abnormality. Primiparse
are encouraged to attend as a routine. In addition, local medical practitioners
can obtain the advice of the consultant for any of their patients ;
in many of these cases the doctor attends with his patient.
As many of the patients seen are suffering from some departure from
the normal, a number are recommended for admission to hospital for
their confinement. In most cases arrangements are made for these, by
the patient being referred to the obstetrician of Redhill County Hospital.
A number of cases, though, the consultant wishes admitted under his own
care. For these, arrangements are made for their acceptance at the City
of London Maternity Hospital.
In 1945 the consultant paid 34 visits to the clinic, seeing 397 patients
who made altogether 407 attendances.
Treatment.
Welfare authorities are empowered to arrange for expectant and
nursing mothers, to receive treatment of a limited class of conditions.
The arrangements made for them to receive this are the same as for
children under five years of age. In May, the Committee decided that
the following treatment services should be provided free of charge to
expectant and nursing mothers : dental treatment, excluding the supply
of dentures ; eye treatment ; sunlight treatment and home nursing.
Below is set out the scale of contributions to be recovered from applicants
for assistance, in regard to those services not provided free of cost :