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

View report page

Kingston upon Thames 1947

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

This page requires JavaScript

17
(c) INFANT WELFARE SERVICES
(i) Domiciliary Visits.
An initial. visit by a Health Visitor is paid to all
infants twelve to fourteen days after confinement, where a
midwife has been in attendance, or where the confinement took
place in the Kingston County Hospital, and twenty-eight days
after the birth where a General Practitioner had attended
Advice is given by the Health Visitor on infant
feeding hygiene, and general management of mother and infant.
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 at one year, and every three months between one
and five years. More frequent visits are made where there
are difficulties with 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 those cases,
The following is the total number of visits made
during 1947 and preceding years:-

Domiciliary visits by Health Visitors.

19431944194519461947
0-11-50-11-50-11-50-11-50-11-5
First visits643-524-567-770-354-
Total visits2,7585,3583,3037,0072,6626,1943,6397,4344,4317,053

(ii) Infant Welfare Sessions „
Two sessions were held weekly at both the Health
Centre and Latchmere School up to 3rd June, 1947. The
Assistant Medical Officers attend all these Clinics, examine
the children regularly and advise regarding infant feeding,
etc.
After 3rd June, 1947, premises adapted for use as a
temporary maternity and child welfare clinic were occupied,
and accommodated three infant welfare sessions weekly. On
5th June also, at the Health Centre, Grange Road, a special
Toddlers' Clinic was instituted once a week, in addition to
the existing two infant welfare sessions.
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 Officers:-