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66
MATERNITY HOME.
During 1947, 1,056 patients were admitted into the Home, compared with
1,020 in 1946, 824 in 1945, 784 in 1944, 601 in 1943, 396 in 1942 and 369 in
1941.
Of the 1,056 patients admitted during 1947, 108 were admitted direct to
the Emergency Block and 948 to the Ward Blocks. The patients were admitted
to the Home from the following Wards:-
Barkingside 174 Loxford 107
Clayhall 8 Mayfield 5
Clementswood 103 North Hainault ... 124
Cranbrook 87 Park 81
Fairlop 12 Seven Kings 108
(ioodmayes 116 South Hainault ... 131
The number of Electoral Wards in the Borough was increased by 3 from
1st November 1947, therefore admissions from the Clayhall, Mayfield and
Fairlop Wards prior to this date are included in the figures for the other
Wards.
975 cases could not be admitted during the year and other arrangements
were made for their confinement.
At the end of the year 564 cases had booked for future admission to the
Home.
The average number of mothers in the Maternity Home per day during
1947 was 37.07.
Wilnett Lodge Post-Natal Home with accommodation for 9 mothers and
babies was opened on 22nd September and 85 patients were transferred there
from the Maternity Home from that date until the end of the year.
The average length of stay of mothers in the Maternity Home was 13.50
days, which included an average stay of 6.07 days in respect of those patients
transferred to Wilnett Lodge.
The policy of discharging patients, where possible, before the 14th day
of the puerperium was continued during the year, thus enabling more cases
to be admitted. 824 of the lx056 patients admitted were discharged from either
the Maternity Home or Wilnett Lodge before the 14th day.
In September 1947 the Council decided to continue to pay to the nursing
staff at the Maternity Home and Wilnett Lodge 20 per cent. above the scales
contained in the recommendations of the Mid wives' and Nurses' Salaries
Committees as an encouragement to retain the existing staff at the Homes and
in an endeavour to obtain additional staff to cope with the great increase in
the number of cases being admitted.
It is interesting to note that during the year 57 of the patients admitted
(or 5.2 per cent.) were primiparas aged 35 years or over, compared with only
16 (or 2.5 per cent.) in 1938 the last complete year prior to the war.
EMERGENCY BLOCK.
125 cases were treated, 108 being admitted direct to this Block and 17
being transferred to the Ward Blocks. One of the latter cases was confined
in the Ward Block, discharged, and subsequently admitted to the Emergency
Block owing to retained placenta.
The 108 cases were admitted for the following reasons:-
Abdominal Pain 1 Delayed labour
Active Tuberculosis 1 Disproportionate measurements
Acute Hydramnios 1 (for Caesarean Section and
Albuminuria ... 1 sterilization) 1
Ante-partum haemorrhage 11 Doubtful pregnancy... 1
Asthma and bronchitis 1 Eclampsia 2
Breech presentation (for Caes- Failed forceps delivery at own
arean Section) 2 home 2
Cardiac condition 1 Head high 1.
Contact of ? infectious case 1 Herpes Zoster 1
Coryza and pyrexia 1 High blood pressure 1