London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kingston upon Thames 1939

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]

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21
Every effort is made by the Health Visitors to arrange
for all mothers confined at home to attend the Post-Natal
Clinics, "but the majority of mothers who consider that they are
fit and well a few weeks after the confinement fail to attend.
( c) THE INFANT WELFARE.
(i ) Domiciliary Visits.
The initial visit by a Health Visitor is paid to all infants
12 - 14 days after confinement where a midwife has been in attendance,
or where the confinement took place in the Kingston County
Hospital, and 28 days after the birth where a General Practitioner
was in attendance.
Advice is given by the Health Visitor on infant feeding,
hygiene, and general management.
Further visits are paid according to the domestic circumstances
where a family doctor is in attendance, no further visits are made
unless by request of the mother. In a majority of cases, visits
are made every month, or more often if necessary, during the first
six months, and every two months between six months and one year,
and every three months between one and five years. More frequent
visits are made where there are difficulties, infant feeding or
illness.
Regular visits at intervals of one to three months, according
to circumstances, are made between the ages of one to five years.
Every effort is made to find children who have entered the
Borough since their birth and regular visits are also made to
these cases.

The following are the total number of visits made during the period under review:-

19391940194119421943
0-11-50-11-50-11-50-11-50-11-5
First Visits551-506-503-529-642-
Total Visits3465543228845227291551752922541027585368

(ii) Infant Welfare Services.
Prom 1st January, 1939, until August 1940, three Infant
Welfare Clinics were held weekly at the Health Centre, Grange Road.
In August, 1940, an Infant Welfare Clinic was commenced at
Latchmere School. Prom that date, two Clinics were held weekly
at both the Health Centre and Latchmere School. The Medical
Officer of Health or his Assistant attend all these Clinics,
examine the children regularly, and advise regarding infant
feeding etc.
The following table shows the number of sessions held, the
number of new cases seen, subsequent visits made, and the numbers
seen by the Medical Officer.