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44
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 14 ante-natally examined and 3 post-natally.
Consultant Ante-natal Clinic.
The Council's consultant obstetrician attends the clinic three weeks
out of four.
In 1947 the consultant paid 34 visits to the clinic, seeing 256 patients,
who made altogether 331 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, 1945, 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.
Mothers receiving dental treatment totalled 503, of whom 74 were
supplied with dentures. The staff of the District Nursing Association
treated 24 nursing mothers.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONFINEMENT.
Domiciliary Confinements.
Number of Confinements: The number of births attended in
private houses in the district by midwives who gave notice of their
intention to practise was 1,210, in 889 cases the attendant being present
as a midwife, and in 321 as a maternity nurse. Of these 1,179 were
attended by local midwives, whose practice is limited to domiciliary
work (868 as midwives and 311 as maternity nurses) and 31 as midwives
from adjoining areas (21 as midwives and 10 as maternity nurses).
Number of Midwives: The number of midwives who during the
year notified their intention to practise in the district, was 52. Of these,
20 removed, leaving in practice at the end of the year 32. Of the total
number 22 were engaged in local maternity homes, most of these
restricting their activities to these duties. Resident in the district were
23 who carried on a domiciliary practice, while 7, though resident in
adjoining areas, attended cases in this district. At the end of the year
there were in practice 13 independent midwives carrying on a domiciliary
service, these between them attending 44 cases during the year, 30 as
midwives and 14 as maternity nurses.