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number agreed as the establishment, even though there is accommodation
at the nurses' homes and even though, too, non-resident staff are engaged,
so that the services could not meet all the demands made on it even for
nursing in the daytime and evening. Still less could a 24.hour service
be maintained.
2. Midwifery and Maternity Nursing.
The County Council, as local health authority, is responsible for
the domiciliary midwifery service of the district. There are fifteen
midwives living in their homes in various parts of the district, who
work under the supervision of the non.medical supervisor of mid.
wives, Miss Webster, and the senior midwife, Miss Rough, of 213, Exeter
Road, South Harrow (Tel. No. Pinner 5752).
In addition to the County Council's staff there were at the end of
the year 3 midwives living in the area whose work was almost entirely
restricted to domiciliary practice here, while as well there was one
midwife living out of the area, but whose domiciliary practice extends
into this district.
3. Home Helps.
The County Council provides this service under Section 29 of the
National Health Service Act, under which a local health authority may
make such arrangements as the Minister may approve, for providing
domestic help for households where such help is required owing to the
presence of any person who is ill, lying.in, an expectant mother, mentally
defective, aged, or a child not over compulsory school age within the
meaning of the Education Act, 1944.
Helps are engaged full.time or part.time. They are paid by the
authority according to the financial circumstances of the household;
some, or all, of this sum is recovered from those who are helped.
The main demand for help is from those who are suffering from
pulmonary tuberculosis. Although the hours of help required might
vary, the patient, once assisted, needs that help for a very long time.
Owing to the difficulty in finding accommodation in institutions for those
suffering from tuberculosis, largely because of the shortage of nursing
and domestic staff, this demand remains high and, in many households,
the help is required for long hours.
Another constant demand is for home helps at houses at which
women are being confined. In such cases, however, for most of them,
the help is provided only for two weeks. There is a constant demand
from the elderly who may, or may not be suffering from some disability.
To many a very limited amount of help makes a considerable difference
to the person's comfort. There is as well a continuous demand from those
suffering from some acute condition. Many of these would have come
on suddenly without warning, so that no preparation could have been
made. From the nature of the case the demand is often of limited duration.
The demand for such help can rise very rapidly, on such occasions as
the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza.
Applications for home helps should be made to the organiser of the
domestic help service, Mrs. McLeod, at the Area Office, "Cottesmore,"
Uxbridge Road, Stanmore (Tel. No. Grimsdyke 741).