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60
The average number of patients in the Ward Blocks per day during 1939
was 20.4 and the average length of stay of patients 16.7 days.
58 cases were transferred to the Emergency Block after confinement
for various reasons.
In 55 of the 459 confinements the patient had been previously admitted
for varying periods of observation, being subsequently re-admitted for the
confinement.
Of the 459 confinements there were :—
(a) 276 cases of first confinement.
(b) 183 cases having their second or subsequent confinement.
(c) 25 cases living in 2 rooms or less (16 being first confinements).
(d) 69 cases living in 3 rooms (53 being first confinements).
Of the 459 cases, 15 women had engaged their own doctor. 11 of these
' cases were, however, delivered by a midwife, the doctor not being present
at the birth. 455 were attended by one of the midwives at the Home.
Thirty-two cases (or 7.0 per cent.) were delivered by means of forceps,
6 following surgical induction ; 3 of the infants were stillborn and 1 died
aged 4 days.
In addition, labour was surgically induced in 27 cases; three of the
infants were stillborn.
There were 8 deaths of infants in the Ward Blocks.
The neo-natal death-rate of babies born in the Ward Blocks was 1.8
per cent. compared with 2.7 per cent. in the district in general. The deathrate
of babies who died before 14 days, born in the Ward Blocks, was 1.6
per cent. in 1939 and 1.8 per cent in 1938.
The infant mortality rate of children born in the Ward Blocks of the
Maternity Home was 20.3 per 1,000 births, as compared with 36.7 born in
their own homes. The figure of 20.3 has been arrived at after deduction of
all deaths of infants born in the Maternity Home, and is calculated on the
total births in the district, excluding those in the Maternity Home.
There were 19 stillbirths in the Ward Blocks.
The average stillbirth rate for the Ward Blocks of the Maternity Home
for the past five years was 2.65 per cent. compared with 2.92 per cent. for
births elsewhere in the Ilford district.
Twenty-one cases were notified as suffering from Puerperal Pyrexia.
Eight of these cases and five other patients were removed to the Isolation
Hospital.
No cases of ophthalmia neonatorum were notified from the Home during
the year.
Special visits were made by the Consulting Obstetrician or his Deputy
to 49 cases in the Ward Blocks as follows :—
To perform Caesarean section operations 31
To perform other operations 14
For consultations 4
One mother confined in the Ward Blocks died the following day from
Acute Eclampsia.
The maternal mortality rate for the Ward Blocks of the Home for the
five years from 1935 to 1939 is .75, as compared with the maternal mortality
rate in the district generally of 3.73, the rate in each case being calculated
on the total live births.
Other Maternity Hospitals.
(a) Queen Mary's Hospital.
One case was admitted during 1939 in accordance with the arrangements
made with this Hospital at a charge of 10s. per day.
(b) Oldchurch County Hospital.
96 cases were admitted during 1939. The charge was increased from
11/6 to 14/- per day as from the 1st May, 1939.