View report page

25
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
These services are provided by the local health authority under
Part 3 of the National Health Service Act 1946 as amended in Part 1 of the
Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
Care of Mothers and Young Children
The local health authority makes arrangements for the care of
expectant and nursing mothers, and of children who have not attained the
age of 5 years and who are not attending primary schools maintained by
the local education authority.
The changing pattern of confinement away from the domiciliary
delivery to delivery in hospital with or without early discharge home
continued during the year and was associated with a corresponding
change in the pattern of ante-natal care of the expectant mother. This
tended to take place more and more in either hospital ante-natal outpatient
departments or in general practitioners' surgeries. Most of the
Borough's midwives are now working in association with the general
practitioners in their surgeries and, therefore, need for local authority
ante-natal clinics continues to fall and will soon disappear. In all
probability the day of 100% hospital confinement, especially in this
area, is not so far off.
The work of preparing and advising the expectant mother regarding
her confinement is still a very important and very worthwhile exercise
carried out by the local health authority staff. Relaxation exercise classes
to help the mother during the actual delivery are held, together with
mothercraft courses at local 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 17 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.
Greater emphasis is now placed on the developmental progress of each
child and special surveillance being instituted when the child is considered
to be "at risk" or when any deviations from the norm are noted.
Simple screening tests are performed and the main task is geared to
the detection of defects in children at as early an age as possible, particularly
those on the observation register, their general development being
carefully watched and a social assessment made. Pfook Cube Symbol and
Sheridan-Gardiner tests are used for testing the vision of 3-5 year olds.
The problems of the future education of handicapped children are
considered from the time of diagnosis of the defect and the pre-school