View report page

48
From February to April, 1947, 81 cases were helped with 14 helps,
May to July 62 cases with 14 helps, August to October 36 cases with 10
helps and November to the 17th January 47 cases with 10 helps. Out
of the 36 helps recruited 13 were actually working or are prepared to
work. Of these 34 engaged 2 were discharged because of unreliability.
The others left because they considered 1s. 9d. an hour insufficient,
because of the loss of time in travelling, and because there was no
guaranteed regular work.
Consultant Service: A consultant was summoned on 16
occasions; in 12 the help of the Redhill Unit being sought, in four a
consultant on the Council's panel. One patient was suffering from a
miscarriage; two from puerperal pyrexia; while in one case the help
was sought because of the condition of the infant. In all other cases
the patient was suffering either from obstetric shock or from haemorrhage
due to retention of the placenta.
In most cases blood transfusion was carried out in the home and
only rarely was it necessary for the patient subsequently to be admitted
to hospital. The facilities by which blood transfusions can be carried
out in the home by the Redhill Unit are a great advantage, as the
alternative in many cases could only be the removal of the patient to
hospital for treatment and patients suffering from such conditions do
not stand removal well.
Institutional Confinements.
1,424 births occurred in registered nursing homes in this district.
On the 617 births to mothers from outside districts which occurred in
this area, 606 took place in maternity homes, 11 in private houses.
Notifications were received of 1,567 births to Harrow mothers,
which took place outside the district. Of these 1,341 were from hospitals
and 226 from maternity homes. Of the patients confined in hospitals
outside the district, 702 were delivered at Redhill County Hospital, and
321 at Bushey Maternity Hospital.
Of a total of 3,730 births, 1,355 occured in the patients' own homes,
818 in local nursing homes, and 1,567 in hospitals or homes outside the
district. Some 2,385 or 64 per cent., then, of the confinements took
place in institutions inside or outside the district.
POST-NATAL SERVICES.
Post-natal Examination.
Mothers recently confined are recommended to be examined some
six weeks after delivery. During the year 339 mothers attended.
Consultant Services.
Any of the consultants on the Council's panel, and the obstetricians
at Redhill Hospital are available to assist general medical practitioners
in difficulties at the confinement or in the post-natal period. This year
use was made of this service on 15 occasions.