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27
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
These services are provided under Part III of the National Health
Service Act of 1946.
Section 22 — Care of Mothers and Young Children
In line with the changing pattern of ante-natal care from local
authority clinic to hospital and/or general practitioner surgery, the number
of sessions for ante-natal and post-natal care were further reduced during
the year. Facilities were still provided at several centres for those patients
who were either referred by hospital or general practitioner for routine
surveillance or who, for some other reason, preferred to attend a local
authority clinic. Eventually it is expected that all ante-natal services will
be provided at hospital and at doctor/midwife sessions in general
practitioner surgeries.
The local authority's work in this sphere is now mainly directed at
preparing the mother for her confinement. This preparation takes the
form of mothercraft and relaxation classes which are held at the various
clinics throughout the Borough. Each preparation course lasts between
8/9 weeks and starts during the fifth month of pregnancy.
Advice on the feeding, hygiene and general management of the infant
was made available at eighteen centres throughout the Borough. These
sessions have a high education value and are much appreciated by the
young nursing mother who often requires much sympathetic guidance and
encouragement with her new responsibilities. Special emphasis is laid on
the importance of observing the developmental progress of each child—
special surveillance being instituted when any deviations from the norm are
noted. Special toddlers' sessions are also held where mothers of older
children are seen by appointment. Here the mother has ample opportunity
to discuss with the clinic staff the general developmental progress of her
child. Facilities for vaccination and immunisation are available at all
child welfare sessions. The following table gives the number of children
attending infant welfare and toddlers' sessions from 1965 to 1969.
Year
Number of Children
Attending Clinics
1965 11,647
1966 12,224
1967 11,963
1968 10,833
1969 10,986
Care of the Unsupported Mother and her Child
Residential accommodation for the ante and post-natal period was
mostly provided for in voluntary Mother and Baby homes either in or
outside the Harrow area.