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14 helps. Of these 4 attended only one confinement, 1 two, 2 three,
1 five, 2 six, 1 seven, 2 eight, and 1 fifteen.
Consultant Services : Medical practitioners can obtain the help
of one of a panel of consultant obstetricians, while, in addition to the
consultant from Redhill Hospital, it is possible for a practitioner to have
the assistance of the " Flying Squad " from the hospital.
Last year, the services of these consultants were made use of on five
occasions. In the one ante-natal case, the patient had developed a raised
temperature before labour had started, though induction had been
attempted the previous week. There were three cases of difficulty during
labour ; in two, the consultant effected delivery, but the third patient was
immediately admitted to hospital for labour. In the fifth case a blood
transfusion was given for post-partum haemorrhage.
Institutional Confinements.
Number of Confinements : 970 births occurred in registered
nursing homes in the district. 383 births to mothers from outside districts
which occurred, took place in maternity homes, five in private houses. In
717 of the 782 confinements attended by midwives, they were present as
maternity nurses.
Notifications were received of 1,585 births to Harrow mothers,
which took place outside the district. Of these 1,331 were from hospitals,
and 226 from nursing homes. Of the patients confined in hospitals
outside the district 649 were delivered at Redhill County Hospital, and
403 at Bushey Maternity Hospital.
Of a total of 3,115 births, 943 occurred in the patients' own homes,
587 in local nursing homes and 1,585 in hospitals or homes outside the
district. Some 2,172 or 70 per cent, of confinements therefore took place
in institutions inside, or outside the district.
During the year, six patients were admitted to a London Hospital
under the Council's arrangements.
Local Maternity Accommodation.
After the 1914-1918 war, maternity and child welfare authorities
were encouraged to provide maternity accommodation. Pending their
being able to provide beds, the Council found a bed at one of a number of
London hospitals with which they had entered into agreement or, failing
that, at one of the local maternity homes.
In November, 1934, the maternity and child welfare committee
considered a report on the question of institutional accommodation for
maternity cases. It was felt that, apart from the sixty beds to which
the maternity unit at Redhill Hospital was to be extended, the hospital
serving Hendon and Wembley as well as Harrow, local requirements were
at least a further forty beds. The Wembley Council was approached as
to the possibility of providing a joint institution of some 70 beds. The
County Council considered the question of the provision of whatever
further accommodation it was necessary to provide accommodation for
30-40 per cent, of all births (being of the opinion that this figure should be
considered reasonably adequate for the average social condition obtaining