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When the mother and infant are kept at home, close
supervision by the Health Visitors is carried out and all
practical assistance possible is rendered.
A separate bedroom for mother and infant is advocated;
instructions on improvisation and detailed advice on the care
of the infant are given. The services of a paediatrician can
be called upon and a home help provided where necessary.
(d) CARE OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN.
The provisions of Ministry of Health Circular 2866
are followed and most of the suggestions outlined in the
Circular are covered with the exception that a separate welfare
worker has not been appointed. Close co-operation, however,
exists between the officers of the Welfare Authority and
Welfare Workers at the Kingston Deanery Home and generally.
Financial contribution of 50% (the Surrey County Council paying
the other 50%) towards the salary of a full-time Welfare Worker
was granted by the Corporation during the year, approximately
50% of the time of the worker to be spent on Kingston cases.
During the pre-natal stages, Health Visitors are ia
touch with expectant mothers and, when necessary, contact the
grand-parents, welfare vorkers in factories, hospitals, almoners,
moral welfare workers and others. Similar contacts are made
during the post-natal stages, and, in addition, admissions to
Day Nurseries are arranged, foster-mothers are visited and
attendance at the Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics is
encouraged.
Assistance is given also by hospital almoners and
associated workers who help the mothers to find work and
lodgings.
(iv) HEALTH VISITORS.
The changes in the personnel of the Health Visitors
are indicated at the beginning of this Report.
The Health Visitors are also School Nurses and Child
Protection Visitors.
The Health Visitors, while acting as School Nurses,
are under the administration of the Surrey County Council,
which is the Education authority for the Area. The school
nurses deal with Kingston schools under the North Central
Divisional Executive Committee, which covers Kingston, Maiden,
Esher and Surbiton, and for which your Medical Officer of
Health is also Divisional School Medical Officer.
The work of the Health Visitors in Maternity and
Child Welfare continues to increase.
The supervision and regular inspection of the day
nurseries forms an important section of the increase.
In consequence of the increased numbers attending
the clinics and the increased birth rate, a considerable strain
"as put on the existing health visiting staff in the earlier
Part of the year, but the situation was remedied by the appointment
of additional health visiting staff in the later months.