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35
Maternity Packs
A sterilised maternity pack is issued to each expectant mother
delivered at home, and a smaller and less comprehensive pack is supplied
when the patient is delivered in hospital and nursed at home. These packs
are extremely useful and continue to be well received.
Emergency Assistance
The service of the 'flying squad', a mobile emergency blood
transfusion unit based at Edgware General and staffed by that hospital,
was requested four times by the domiciliary midwives during the year; two
of the calls were of a preventative nature, but the response on all four
occasions was immediate and the service is very much valued and
appreciated.
Liaison with Group Practice
During 1966 a pilot scheme was started at a group practice in the
Edgware district of the Borough, it has worked well since its inception,
and another attachment was started this year.
This liaison with group practice is a desirable feature of domiciliary
midwifery but to work efficiently it needs to be associated with reasonably
large units which are only now being formed.
Post Certificate Training
One midwife attended a refresher (G1) course, as required by the
rules of the Central Midwives Board.
The midwifery staff attended a lecture at Edgware General Hospital
given by the Orthopaedic Consultant Surgeon on congenital dislocation of
the hip of the new born and the importance of testing for this as soon after
delivery as possible was stressed.
All the midwives now carry a supply of local anaesthetic, as resolved
by the Central Midwives Board for use, when time permits, prior to
performing an episiotomy.
Training
The Education Officer of the Central Midwives Board paid a routine
examining visit to the Borough in May this year and it was stated that the
facilities in Harrow were excellent for the training of pupil midwives.
Eleven of the midwifery staff are approved teachers. Twenty-five
pupils from Bushey Maternity Hospital and from Edgware General
Hospital were attached to the department for the completion of their
midwifery training. Each pupil works with a teaching midwife who
supervises their domiciliary training in preparation for Part II of the
examination of the Central Midwives Board.