View report page

6
they will be affected by the implementation of the provisions of the Education
Act, and how arrangements made will be correlated with the foreshadowed
National Health Service.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Service has similarly expanded.
The Maternity Home, represented by nine beds in two houses in Cranbrook
Road in 1919, is now housed in a modern and well equipped institution
of 51 beds on the main arterial road. This was built in 1925 and extended
in 1935. It includes two ward blocks, operating theatre, labour wards,
an emergency cubicle block of 6 beds, and accommodation for Ante- and
Post-Natal Clinics. The Central Midwives Board has recognised it as a
training school for Part 1 of the training syllabus leading to the State Midwives
Certificate. Ante-Natal Clinics are held also in Mayesbrook School
Clinic. Since 1937, a domiciliary midwifery service has been provided, and
12 Municipal Midwives, working under the supervision of Miss Blockloy,
the very capable Superintendent Midwife, have been appointed. By
agreement with the British Medical Association, a Practitioners' Ante-Natal
Scheme has been in operation for the past 8 years.
The strain on the Maternity Home is seen by the figures given in the
body of the Report. It is hard to visualise what would have happened
to many Ilford mothers if the Maternity Home had not been extended when
it was.
The impending retirement of Miss M. E. Roberts, Matron of the present
and former Maternity Homes for the past 25 years, on medical grounds,
will be regretted by all. Her self-less devotion and conscientious and
capable services to midwifery in the Town have earned the well-deserved
appreciation of the Council and the sincere gratitude of countless mothers.
The Infant Welfare Centres have multiplied from 5 in 1919 to 13 in
1944. Attendances have increased from 5,643 to 35,700 in the same period
(the latter figure is considerably below normal owing to enemy action).
Owing to wartime conditions it has been necessary to merge some of the
Centres, but so far as circumstances have permitted, the service has been
maintained. The war has seen the institution of four nurseries, each
accommodating approximately 50 children below school age.
The Isolation Hospital, which 20 years ago consisted of 84 beds, contained
in 6 ward blocks, and a small administrative Block, now has 190 beds,
of which 76 are of the modern cubicle isolation type. Additions to the
administrative block and the erection of 3 cruciform cubicle blocks, centralised
kitchen, Medical Officer's residence, garages, laundry and mortuary
block between the years 1935 and 1939, has made this one of the most upto-date
institutions of its kind in the country. The Hospital has continued
to carry out efficient service for infectious cases, both for Ilford and Barking.
I would refer you particularly to the report on the outbreak of Influenza
given on Page 27.
The campaign of active immunisation against Diphtheria introduced
locally in 1929, has been vigourously prosecuted, and the existing low
incidence and mortality of Diphtheria is a direct result.
The war brought to the Department greatly increased duties and
responsibilities. These included the organisation and operation of the
Casualty Services of the Civil Defence organisation, a summary of which is
given on Pages 35 and 36. I would refer in this connection to the indefatigable
and able assistance which was rendered by Dr. Noordin which has been
not only appreciated by myself but also by the Council and all those who
have come in contact with him. The members of the Casualty Services
generally deserve the grateful thanks of the Town; for many of them their
duties have been tiresome and irksome and yet they have been always everready
when the occasion arose. There have also been medical duties in
connection with the evacuation of school children and expectant mothers,
issue of special concessionary certificates to expectant mothers, war-time
day nurseries, food decontamination services, and the inauguration of the
National Milk Scheme, for which I acted as Milk Officer for a considerable
time.