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The progress of this rate towards the improved figure
quoted has been in keeping with the trends of the rate for
England and Wales, and for London which are also shown in
the graph. The rate for Kingston was lower than that for
England and Wales and for London in 1921, and is also lower
than these rates in 1948.
The above figures show a marked saving in infant life.
That Maternity and Child Welfare Services, with their home
visiting of infants, infant consultations, ante and post
natal care, provision of milk foods and other accessories,
and the continual health education carried out by the doctors
and Health Visitors at the clinics and in the homes,have made
a large contribution to the saving is beyond doubt. It may,
therefore, be said that the efforts made, and expenses incurred,
by your Committees to do this work have met with progressive
success in the last 30 years.
A very important factor of the work was the close
tion between your Committees and their Chairmen, with the
officers and their clinic workers. The timely decisions
which were made to forward the work, and to help difficult
cases so that urgent needs were met and situations resolved
worked to the immediate benefit of the people.
Under the new system, the population to be served is much
greater (197,000), with a resulting larger number of workers
and clinics to be supervised and maintained at efficient level.
Therefore a constant aim must be to keep close personal attention
to peripheral needs, and by every means possible to facilitate
progress as needs change. The whole of the resources of the
County organisation will be readily available to all parts of
the Division, and may be expected to meet the varying needs of
the different specialised services.
(i) MIDWIFERY SERVICE - Annual Report for Kingston-upon-Thames,1948.
(a) Midwifery Service (Surrey County Council)
The Midwifery Service was under the administrative control
and supervision of the County Medical Officer of Health and
could be divided into two main sections
Domiciliary Midwifery Service
Institutional Midwifery Service.
At the end of 1948, there were 5 midwives in the Borough
who undertook confinements in the home. Complete arrangements
for medical assistance, and, if necessary, admission to the
Kingston County Hospital, were made by the Surrey County Council.
Hospital treatment was provided mainly at the Kingston
County Hospital, but, if necessary, cases were transferred to
one of the other County Hospitals.