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33
ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN (Circular 2866)
The Council do not employ a social worker for the purposes of the above Circular.
These duties are undertaken by the Superintendent Health Visitor, and close cooperationsis
maintained with the Children's Officer.
CARE OF UNMARRIED MOTHERS
During the year under review it was not found necessary for the Council to accept
responsibility for the maintenance of any unmarried mother in a mother and baby home.
NURSERY AND CHILD MINDERS REGULATION ACT 1948.
There were no daily minders provided by the Council during the year and there were no
premises or daily minders registered under the above Act at 31/12/55,
The Authority do not pay any fees to daily minders under section 22 of the National
Health Service Act„ 1946
REGISTRATION OF NURSING HOMES
Under Sections 187 to 194 of the Public Health Act 1936 there were no homes registered
during the year 1955 and there were no homes on the register at the end of the year,
ALDERSBROOK MATERNITY HOSPITAL
This unit closed on 30th June 1955 Statistics for the period 1st January to 30th June
are appended
Number of beds 20
" " midwives employed on 30/6/55 5
" patients confined during the period 1/1/55 to 30/6/55 -
(a) Midwifery 117 ) 117
(b) maternity nursing )
" " midwives qualified on 30/6/55 to administer gas and
air analgesia 5
" " sets of apparatus of gas and air analgesia in use on
30/6/55 2
" " patients to whom gas and air analgesia was administered
by midwives during the period 1/1/55 to 30/6/55 :-
(a) when acting as midwife 112 ) 112
(b) " " maternity nurse )
" " patients to whom pethidine was administered by midwives
during period 1/1/55 to 30/6/55
(a) when acting as midwife 67 ) 67
(b) " " " maternity nurse - )
" " occasions medical aid sought by midwives under section
14(1) of the Midwives Act 1951 .. 18
" " infant deaths -
" " premature infants born 4
" " still births 2
This hospital was opened on 19,10 46 to meet the pressing needs for maternity beds
for our burgesses A glance at the chart on page 16 will show that 1946 was the peak
year for new births and never again in the eleven years to follow was the birth rate to
equal that post-war figure of 22 per 1,000 population
The hospital was fashioned out of the wartime gas decontamination unit together
with some rooms of the old Children's Homes and provided 20 beds and two labour wards
and a training nursery and rest room for nursing mothers.
During the nine years of active live 3,576 mothers were confined there and 3,693
babies delivered Still births numbered 22 and infant deaths 25 so that it can readily
be seen the standard of midwifery practised must have been very high and great credit
reflects on the matron midwives and staff who ministered go ably to those East Ham
mothers confined in this hospital