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91
The Ilford Council has made application to the Minister of
Health to become the local supervising authority under the Midwives
Acts, and awaits the decision of the Ministry thereon.
Supervision of Maternity Homes.
By the Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927, all persons
carrying on a Maternity Home are liable to a penalty unless they
are registered by the local supervising Authority, in this case the
Essex County Council. The County Medical Officer informs me
that five persons have been registered in Ilford for the purpose of
carrying on Maternity Homes.
The Ilford Council, having made application in 1928 and being
refused the delegation of the powers and duties of the Essex County
County Council under the Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927,
Section 9 (2), have now made representation to the Ministry of
Health under Section 9 (3) of the Act. This states that any District
Council having made application to the County Council without
success for delegation of the powers or duties of the County Council
under this Act, and is aggrieved by the refusal, may make representation
to the Minister of Health. The Minister after consultation with
the County Council may direct the County Council to delegate to
the District Council such powers and duties as the Minister thinks
proper, and the County Council shall comply with any direction
so given.
The representation is now receiving the consideration of the
Minister of Health.
It was necessary to draw the attention of the County Medical
Officer of Health to a Maternity Home in Ilford which had been registered,
although no resident midwife had been engaged. A resident
midwife was eventually engaged.
My attention was called to a probable case of Pemphigus at a
private maternity home at Seven Kings, which was reported to the
County Medical Officer of Health. The infant was born before the