London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Ilford 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ilford]
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70
Gas and Air Analgesia.
Two Hospital model Walton Minnitt gas and air machines have been
provided at the Council's Maternity Home for the purpose of producing
analgesia during labour.
Gas and air was administered to 521 patients during the year. In
November, 1945, the Central Midwives Board introduced changes affecting
the training of Midwives and Pupil Midwives in the administration of gas
and air analgesia, to become operative as from 1st July, 1946. The object
of the amendment is to ensure that Pupil Midwives should undergo the
course of training for the certificate in the administration of gas and air
analgesia during either their Part 1 or Part 2 training before enrolment as a
Midwife, and the Board expressed the wish that in the majority of cases the
Pupil Midwife would pass the test at her Part 1 training school.
The Maternity Home is approved by the Central Midwives Board for the
purpose of providing instruction in the essentials of obstetric analgesia and
in the use of a recognised apparatus such as that provided at the Home.
Nineteen of the staff, including 16 Pupil Midwives, qualified and obtained
the certificate during 1946.
Other Maternity Hospitals.
Arrangements were made for the admission of maternity cases to the following Hospitals during 1946, for which the Council were responsible for the cost of maintenance:—
| No. of Cases. | Fees payable. | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Oldchurch County Hospital, Romford .. Although the Essex County Council ceased to book any maternity cases from Ilford at the end of June, 1944, the cases mentioned were admitted there as an emergency measure. | 10 | 14s. per day. |
| (b) Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford | 9 | 10s. per day. |
| (c) Maldon Hospital, Maldon | 1 | 11s. 8d. ,, |
| (d) St. Margaret's Hospital, Epping | 2 | 11s. 8d. ,, |
| (e) Plaistow Maternity Hospital, Howards Road, Plaistow | 2 | 15s. ,, |
| (f) East End Maternity Hospital, Commercial Road, E. 1 | 40 | 16s. ,, |
Emergency Maternity Homes.
The arrangements for the admission of patients to ante-natal hostels
or billets and emergency maternity homes, as outlined in my report for 1945,
continued during the year. The Minister of Health, however, raised the
charge for maintenance from 14s. per day to 15s. per day for cases leaving
London after 1st April, 1946.
580 patients registered for evacuation to these Homes for their confinements
expected during the year but only 252 went away, the other 328 either
cancelling the arrangements as they subsequently decided to have their
confinement elsewhere, or could not be accepted owing to insufficient accommodation
in the Emergency Maternity Homes.
407 of these patients attended the Council's Ante-Natal Clinics,
making a total of 2,506 attendances during the year. These figures are
included in the table of attendances at the Ante-Natal Clinics.
Intimation was periodically received during the year from the London
County Council, the authority responsible for making the arrangements for
the admission of patients to these Homes, that the registrations had reached
the limit for which accommodation could be provided by the Ministry of
Health, which meant that mothers who had delayed applying could not be
accepted.
91 cases which had registered were referred back during the last weeks
of pregnancy owing to lack of sufficient accommodation in the Homes, and